Teacher's Pet
by Richonne Writing Network
Summary: A small town sheriff and preschool teacher find love thanks to the cutest little matchmaker around. AU. Richonne Just Desserts has gathered an amazing group of Richonne writers to bring to you this round robin event. New chapters are posted on the Richonne Just Desserts tumblr page every Monday with Author Spotlights following on Friday. Hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **Written by B and M**

 **(find more of B and M's writing under our favorite authors or check out her tumblr page)**

* * *

Rick glanced in the rear view mirror of his truck and grinned at the sight of his four year old daughter sitting in her car seat swinging her feet back and forth as she happily hummed along to the country song that was playing on the radio, one he was certain she didn't know. She had insisted on changing out of the jeans and purple polka dot shirt she had worn to school that day, opting for a little light blue, ruffled seersucker sundress and some white sandals in honor of this special occasion instead.

"So is Miss A going to give you a good report or a bad report tonight?"

"Good," she answered from the back seat before going back to humming along to the music as she looked out the window.

"Are you sure?" he goaded.

"I got all green lights this week," she answered indignantly as she met his eyes in the mirror, furrowing her blonde little eyebrows and puffing out her chubby cheeks. She was telling the truth, then again it was only Tuesday. "I like her better than Mrs. Miller," she declared.

"Because she gives you green lights?"

"Yes," she answered honestly, causing him to crack a smile. "But also she's nice. And pretty. And she reads stories better."

"How does she do that?"

"She does the voices like you do," she explained of his silly habit of putting on different voices for each of the characters in her bedtime stories.

It was their little thing, or so he thought. His stories always tickled her to no end, sending her into a fit of giggles as she nuzzled up closer to him while they sat in her bed which made it worth the extra effort for him.

"I see…do you like her stories better than mine?"

Much to his surprise, she actually cocked her little head to the side and pursed her lips as she pondered it.

"Yes," she decided after a moment.

"Then I guess I should just quit…" he teased with a put upon frown and a mopey voice, although he had to admit that she had broken his heart just a little bit with that admission.

"No!"

"But you said hers are better…" he countered, laying it on a little thicker.

"Only sometimes," she backtracked. "Don't be sad, daddy," she pleaded in a tender little voice.

"I'm not, sweetheart," he assured her with a smile to prove it. "I was just teasin' you. I'm glad you like your new teacher."

Just as he was pulling into the parking lot of his daughter's preschool, his cell phone began to ring from its spot in the center console. He kept his eyes on the road, not wanting to glance down until he had finished parking, but his little helper was on it for him.

"It's Mommy!" she announced upon spotting the picture of Lori, Carl, and herself that popped up on the screen. "Can I answer it?"

"Of course."

Right after he threw the truck in park, he reached down and passed the phone back to her, turning to watch as she expertly handled the device and answered on speaker, holding it out in front of her face like a little adult.

"Hi Mommy."

Her forehead scrunched as she was met with nothing but a loud barrage of indiscriminate background noises coming through the speaker. As it went on for a few more seconds, he assumed that she had just butt-dialed them, for lack of a better description.

"Lori?"

"Mommy?" Judith repeated.

"Baby?" she answered finally. "Is your dad there?"

"I'm here," he called out.

"Hey! Do you hear that?" He wrinkled his forehead as the noises replaced her voice again for moment. "Carl hit a homerun!"

Rick and Judith began to cheer along with the crowd from the cab of his truck, and although he was thrilled for his son, he felt his heart break again for missing out on his first homerun.

* * *

Michonne stood at the front of the classroom, her palms feeling slightly clammy and her heartbeat starting to speed up just a bit. She always got a little nervous at these things which was silly considering she spent her days speaking in front of crowds. Her usual crowds were students that came just up to her hips, however, and tonight they were all accompanied by one of both of their adults. She was outnumbered by far. She rubbed her palms down the side of her dress, took a deep breath, and put on her best smile.

"Everyone, can I have your attention for just a moment?"

The buzz in the classroom died down quickly as the children and parents stopped their conversations and found places to settle down across the room; some against the walls, some along the shelves of cubby holes in the back, and some in the long rows of tiny desks that ran the width of the room.

"I just wanted to take a moment to welcome you all to the spring semester open house. My name is Michonne Anthony, but you may know me better as _Miss A_ or _The New Mrs. Miller_ ," she quipped, referring to recently retired, long-long time teacher she had just replaced.

Her joke, thankfully, earned some knowing laughter and chatter from the parents, some who only knew of her as the former through their children and some who were guilty of the latter themselves. In the midst of the laughter, her eyes were drawn to the center of the room where Judith Grimes was practically crawling out of her father's lap as she waved excitedly at her. She couldn't help but smile at the sight, and gave a small wave back as Judith's father reigned her in and whispered something in her ear, likely to the effect of sit still and behave judging by the look on his face.

"Just a little about me, first," she continued once the room quieted down again. "I have a background in art education, clearly," she said gesturing to the walls that were completely covered in paintings and drawings, "and I've worked with just about every age group throughout my career, but I always enjoyed working with my youngest students the most which inspired me to go back to school for a degree in early childhood education. After graduation, I taught at a Montessori school in Atlanta for a few years before taking this position."

She continued to scan the room, trying to make eye contact with each and every person as she spoke, but her eyes kept landing on Judith Grimes's father, and the way he was so endearingly crouched into his daughter's tiny desk chair with her on his lap. He was by no means the youngest father of the bunch, but he was certainly the most handsome, distractingly so actually.

He was easily in his early forties judging by the deep creases that formed around his eyes every time he smiled at one of her attempts at humor and the ample amount of grey running through the scruff that covered the lower half of his face. He was dressed in a light blue plaid button down shirt and jeans like at least half of the men were, a standard casual dad look around these parts, but he wore his well so well on his lean frame.

"Getting to know your children over the past month has been an absolute pleasure," she carried on, purposely forcing her eyes away from him, "and I'm looking forward to meeting each of you this evening. There are refreshments in the back and many projects hanging around the room that I'm sure your children are eager to show you. Please enjoy!"

As the chatter in the room started up again and the parents and children scattered to begin exploring the classroom, there was one voice that rose above the rest.

"Miss A!"

"Miss G!" she exclaimed at the sight of the pint-sized blonde making a beeline toward her.

"Did you see me waving?" Judith asked with breathless excitement as she came to a stop in front of her.

"I did. Didn't you see me wave back?"

"Yes," she answered sheepishly knowing full well that she had. "This is my daddy."

"I thought that's who this might be…" Michonne couldn't help but smile at the obvious introduction, but then it was the polite thing to do. "Hi Mr. Grimes," she said bringing her gaze to his face as she extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Rick," he said as he shook her hand. "And it's nice to meet you as well. My daughter is a big fan," he joked, referring to her previous antics, which caused Michonne to chuckle.

The raspy, but warm southern drawl that had come from his smiling mouth caught her off guard. He was even more handsome up close, his blue eyes striking in their color and clarity, and his lean frame on full display as he stood before her, at least a head taller. Objectively speaking, Mr. Grimes was hot. And while it would be unprofessional to say so, she could at least allow herself to appreciate their interaction as a perk of the job.

"Well, I'm a big fan of hers," Michonne said, making sure to keep her focus strictly business. "She's very bright and curious, and brings such a wonderful energy to the classroom."

The corner of Rick's lips twisted into a lopsided grin at Miss A's very kind take on what Mrs. Miller had previously referred to as Judith's disruptive behavior. But then Miss A was not like Mrs. Miller. At all. She was younger than Mrs. Miller by at least a quarter of a century, and younger than him by at least a few years he figured. She was nice, as Judith had told him, and not in that cloyingly sweet way that some of his son's teachers had been. And funny. And pretty. Though his daughter had missed the mark on that one because she was absolutely beautiful. There was a glow about her, especially when she smiled; the smooth, dark skin of her cheeks just seemed to radiate warmth. Her hair was twisted back into a loose bun at the base of her neck, and she wore a simple, flowing floor length black dress paired with a snug grey cardigan to cover her arms and shoulders. Her wrists were adorned with a thick collection of gold and brightly colored beaded bracelets, and gold metal earrings that were hammered into an ornate design dangled from her earlobes. She had an easy-going, yet elegant way about her which made her all the more intriguing and difficult to take his eyes off of.

"Miss A, do you want to know something?" Judith piped up, almost as if on cue, helping him do just that.

"Sure," she answered

"When I told my daddy I like your stories better, he cried."

Michonne bit down on her lips to hold back the laugh that wanted to escape them.

"I didn't cry," he scoffed uncomfortably, his cheeks warming slightly from embarrassment.

"I forgot to mention, she's very good at sharing, too," Michonne grinned.

"Yeah," he huffed out at her gracious description of Judith's talkative ways.

"I know that your son, Carl," she inserted proudly to prove her point, "has a baseball game tonight, and he plays for a team called the King County Crushers which is why your wife couldn't be here this evening."

"My ex-wife," Rick corrected casually as he chuckled at the level of detail his daughter had given her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize–"

"That's OK," he assured her as he waved it off.

She nodded with relief as she watched a grin form on his lips, one she imagined was meant to put her at ease. And it did, as she felt a warmth spread through her cheeks as she grinned back. They fell quiet for a moment as she allowed herself to steal another look at his handsome face, and she could have sworn he might have been doing the same to her.

"Carl hit a homerun tonight!"

The high little voice broke their gaze as they both looked down at her, with Michonne being thankful for the distraction.

"Way to go, Carl!" she said in return before glancing over her head to be reminded of the nineteen other sets of parents and children who also deserved her attention this evening. "Well, I should probably keep making the rounds. It was nice to finally meet you," she said as she extended her hand out again.

"Likewise," he nodded as he shook it in return.

She gave him a small grin as she pulled her hand from his then moved along to the next family. He watched her walk away, giving the same smile, introduction, and handshake to the next dad. He could have sworn he felt a little something between them, but maybe it was all in his head…

* * *

 _Thank you for coming…good night…thanks for coming…have a nice night._

She felt like a broken record as she stood at the door bidding the parents and their children good bye as they filed out of the classroom. The steady stream had slowed to a trickle as the last few stragglers made their way out.

"I'm not ready to go yet!"

She glanced back into the room to see Judith still sitting at her desk, refusing to move as her father leaned down beside her with a gentle hand on her back.

"You have to go to sleep so you can come back to school tomorrow," he explained patiently.

"But I'm not tired," she insisted.

"But I am," Michonne said with a well-timed yawn as she walked toward them. "It's been a long day, Judith. I need to get my rest, otherwise I'll be too tired to come to school tomorrow…"

"No," she said with alarm.

"…definitely too tired for story time or art class…" Michonne carried on.

"You have to go to sleep," Judith instructed with great concern. "I will, too," she promised.

"OK," she nodded causing Judith to pop up from her chair.

While she was pushing it in under her desk like Miss A always reminded them to do, Michonne glanced over at Rick who was looking her way grinning. She gave him a knowing wink then began walking toward the door with them. When they arrived, Judith simply turned to her and wrapped her arms around her waist, giving her a hug good night. Michonne took a step back, caught of guard by the sweet gesture, then steadied herself and leaned down to wrap her arms around Judith's back.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Michonne said as she gave her a tight squeeze. Judith nodded then turned and grabbed her father's hand.

"Have a good night," she said quietly as she glanced up at Rick.

"You, too," he nodded before his daughter tugged on his hand to get them going since she was completely on board with this sleep thing now.

As they walked to the car, Rick glanced down at his daughter, touched by how taken she was with her new teacher. She could be a handful, but it was clear there was a connection between the two of them.

He glanced back over his shoulder to see Miss A still standing in the door of her classroom, her silhouette backlit by the light coming from inside, watching them as they walked to their car. Upon meeting his eyes, she gave a shy smile then dipped her head and turned to walk back into the classroom. He reached into his back pocket and pulled his keys out, giving them a twirl around his finger as he smiled to himself. Maybe it wasn't all in his head, after all…


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Written by cranesinthesky**

 **(find more of cranesinthesky's writing under our favorite authors or check out her tumblr page)**

* * *

Michonne hummed quietly as she walked into the grocery store, grabbing a shopping cart from the front before heading over to the produce section. Her sneakers squeaked against the tiled floor as she mentally tried to remember what she had put on her grocery list that she had inadvertently left on her kitchen counter before leaving out of the house that morning. Right after her daily early morning run, she came back with a hungry stomach and a mostly empty fridge that contained only a couple of bottles of water, an apple and a container of plain greek yogurt.

The week had been a long and exhausting one. Between preparing for open house, planning activities for her class of twenty kids and attempting to unpack the rest of her belongings after her recent move to King County, she felt the need to slow it down for the weekend and take a breather. She planned to explore around the small town later on that day, to get a feel of living in the country instead of the busy city of Atlanta that she was so accustomed and familiar with.

The move from Atlanta to King County in the middle of the school year wasn't her initial plan, but after her recent breakup with her ex-boyfriend, Mike, and the need for a change of scenery, she decided to take a leap of faith. She had heard of an opening at the elementary school in King County from an old colleague of hers and thought it was the perfect opportunity to take on. So far, she loved it. Each student was different in their own unique way with different personalities and work ethics to match. However, throughout her years of teaching, she noticed that there was always one student that stood out from the rest and would often became the most memorable for the year. She knew it was early on in the semester, but she could already tell that Judith Grimes would be this year's most memorable student. Yes, she was a ball of energy, but she was such a delight to have in the classroom. She was always volunteering to help and was eager to learn and answer questions- the perfect student in Michonne's eyes.

Although, thinking back to the night of open house, Michonne realized that Judith brought something else to the classroom and she had not been able to shake him from her mind since.

Rick Grimes.

Michonne had tried to keep her eyes off of him while she spoke with the other parents, but she somehow still managed to sneak in little glances here and there. That southern drawl lingered in her ears and those blue eyes were etched in her mind for the rest of the night. She swore that a spark had occurred during their brief interaction, but she quickly decided to keep whatever it was at bay. Being interested in and potentially dating a parent of a current student was too risky and against the hard set rule she had set for herself at the beginning of her teaching career. She knew how gossip tended to spread quickly, especially in a small town, and her professionalism would be questioned. The whispers would hurt not only her, but the student as well, and she would have none of that.

After she had visited every aisle and grabbed all of the items she needed, Michonne made her way towards the one register that was open. A small smile tugged at her lips when she recognized the man that had been on her mind for the last couple of days, with the brown curls and gray scruffy beard that were hard to miss. Judith was beside him, tugging on his leg as he pulled out his wallet to pay the cashier, a frown on her face as her small voice begged him to purchase a lollipop on a nearby stand. A couple of feet behind Rick stood a young boy around the age of twelve- who Michonne assumed was his son Carl- occupied with a handheld video game console that made a ping noise every other second.

As Michonne moved closer to the register, her movement caught Judith's eye and the little girl's face immediately broke out into a smile, pulling away from her father and running towards Michonne. Rick looked up a slight panic then amusement once he saw the scene at hand.

"Miss A!" Judith cried out, hugging Michonne's legs before pulling away. She fidgeted in excitement at the sight of seeing her favorite teacher outside of school. "I told Daddy I saw you here."

"Did you?" Michonne grinned. She glanced up to see Rick and Carl making their way towards them, a brown paper bag in Rick's hand and a small smile to match her own. Michonne introduced herself to Carl, who was his father's mini me, before moving to Rick. He nodded his greeting, his eyes focused on hers as her cheeks warmed in response.

"Mr. Grimes," she said gently. "It's nice to see you again."

"Likewise," he offered. His eyes scanned over her face, free of makeup and jewelry, but yet, still the same beauty he had witnessed just a few nights ago. He quickly averted his gaze once he caught himself, focusing instead on his daughter who was standing on the tips of her toes trying to take a peek into Michonne's cart.

"What did you get, Miss A?" Judith asked curiously as Rick tried to maneuver her away.

"Judith, that's enough," he warned firmly. He gave Michonne an apologetic look that she quickly dismissed with a wave of her hand.

"It's fine," she assured him. "Let's see. I have some ice cream, milk, eggs, vegetables, chicken and tomato sauce."

"Are you going to make homemade pizza?" Judith piped up as she eyed the can of tomato sauce. "Mommy makes homemade pizza with me and Carl at her house." She turned to her father, a teasing look on her face and a glimmer in her eye as she continued, "But Daddy doesn't know how to make pizza at his house because last time he burned it so he takes us to Uncle Glenn's pizza shop."

Rick sheepishly ran a hand through his hair and was about to interject when Michonne said to Judith, "Well, I love pizza, too, so I'll have to check this place out."

"It's not too far from our house," Rick found himself saying. Her eyes immediately met his. "My friend Glenn owns it. We go there at least once a week. You should try it out sometime."

He paused, contemplating on whether he should invite her out or not. He knew that she was new in town and didn't know a lot of people; it would be the perfect opportunity for her to meet and get to know everyone. It would also be the perfect opportunity for him to get to know her.

Michonne nodded. She sensed that he wanted to continue on with his statement, but he stood there silently, awkwardly trying to think of a good reason to invite his daughter's teacher out to dinner. Carl rolled his eyes as he watched the two adults stare at each other, a boredom hanging over his head. Trying to make the time go by faster until it was time to go home, he grabbed Judith's hand and announced that they were going to look at the magazines. Within a few seconds, they were out of earshot.

"I'll have to try it," she replied softly, though slightly disappointed. In the back of her mind, she secretly hoped that he would ask her out. She didn't want to go against her rule, but perhaps she could make an exception this time if it was presented to her. There was something about this Rick Grimes that drew her towards him and she wanted to know more about the handsome father.

She jutted her thumb out towards the register. "I should go pay for these and head on out. I don't want the ice cream to melt before I get home."

Rick nodded, his brows furrowed as the thought to just suck it up and ask her out again shot through his mind. But as he thought about the connection that Judith and Miss A shared, he decided not to do it so he wouldn't ruin what they had. He only hoped that he would be able to stick to his plan.

After Michonne paid for her groceries and made some small talk with Rick, they made their way out to the parking lot. Rick made sure Carl and Judith were settled in his truck before walking two spots down to Michonne's car help her pack away her bags into the trunk.

"Thank you again," she said graciously, noting the way his blue eyes never left hers whenever she spoke.

"It's no problem at all."

He watched as she walked to the driver's side of the car and opened the door. She paused before getting in, turning to him with a gleam in her eye.

"And try not to burn anymore pizzas."

He laughed, rubbing at the side of his beard. "I won't."

Michonne got into the car and put the key in the ignition, starting up the car and feeling the cool breeze from the air conditioner. Through her passenger window, she could see Rick get into his truck and pull out of his parking spot, Judith's voice wafting through the open windows. She sighed as she pulled out behind them. Dating a student's parent was not a good idea so maybe it was for the best.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Written by reciprocityfic**

 **(find more of reciprocityfic's writing under our favorite authors or check out her tumblr page)**

* * *

Michonne walked into the teacher's lounge Monday afternoon with a sigh, immediately making her way over to the small table in the corner of the room that she always shared with her two fellow teachers and closest friends, Sasha Williams and Paul Rovia. Michonne was thankful everyday that she was lucky enough to share her lunch period with them. With all the adjusting and settling in she'd had to do after her big move, she hadn't had time to even think about revamping her social life in this small town. But as it ended up, she hadn't had to worry about that at all. Sasha and Paul had been nothing but warm and welcoming to Michonne in her first days at school, and she was drawn to them immediately. The overwhelming kindness and caring they gave her made this drastic change in her life so much easier and more enjoyable, and convinced her more and more everyday that she'd made the right choice in moving to King County.

Sasha laughed as Michonne nearly collapsed into the chair next to her.

"Damn, girl. It's only the first day of the week and you already look like you've been through a hurricane."

"Have you ever tried to fingerpaint with twenty four year-olds?" Michonne asked as she opened her lunch bag and pulled out a shiny red apple, bringing it to her lips and taking a large bite.

"No, but I see that you have," Sasha said, motioning to the line of blue paint that was smeared over the arm of her long-sleeved gray shirt. "And, by the way, fractions aren't a walk in the park either."

Sasha was a fourth grade teacher, and specialized in teaching math to her often-unwilling students. But Sasha was a total math nerd, and jumped at every opportunity to foster that same appreciation for the subject in one of her students with joy and enthusiasm. Michonne immediately called her bluff.

"Sash, you love teaching fractions."

"True," Sasha conceded with a wide smile, pushing her black-rimmed glasses up her nose and pushing her dark, curly hair away from her face. "But you love fingerpainting with your four year-olds too, so I guess we're even."

"And I very much appreciate the effort you put into cultivating the little ones' artistic spirits before they make their way to me," Paul offered from the other side of Michonne. He was a full-time art teacher that taught the students from first grade until they graduated to middle school. He was one of the most creative and patient people Michonne had ever met, leaving him with the ideal temperament for an elementary art educator. And he looked the part perfectly, with his long brown hair, neatly-trimmed beard, and impeccably put-together outfits.

"At least someone appreciates me," Michonne said, smiling at Paul while jokingly kicking Sasha under the table.

The three ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Paul put down the sandwich he was eating and glanced at Michonne.

"We never got the chance to ask you how your open house went last week."

"Yeah," Sasha agreed. "Was it as bad as you thought it was going to be? You were so nervous last week."

"I wasn't nervous," Michonne protested weakly. She had been nervous; she just hoped she'd done a better job hiding it. "And it went really well. The projects we made turned out nicely, the kids all looked happy to be there and see me. I liked the parents."

As soon as she said parents, Rick Grimes' face popped into her head, and she dropped her eyes down to the table. She quickly pushed him out of her mind and amended her statement, as if Sasha and Paul would be able to read her thoughts if they lingered on Judith's father for too long.

"I mean, they all seemed nice. And normal. That kind of stuff."

She tentatively looked up at her friends when they didn't respond, and saw them carrying with lunch normally. They seemed to have missed Michonne's mini-freakout, and she let out a long breath and went to take the last few bites of her apple.

"So, no parents you think you'll end up paying special attention to?"

She nearly choked on her fruit when she heard Sasha's question, and she felt her stomach drop. Again, Rick's face bombarded her thoughts. Sasha couldn't know about him, or her slight, kind-of crush on him. That was…impossible. Hell, she'd hardly admitted to herself that she had a crush on him, let alone someone else.

"Michonne?"

Hearing Sasha call her name pulled her out of her mind and back to the situation in front of her, and she hurried to think of response, not knowing how long she'd been sitting there, frozen in shock and potential embarrassment.

"Special attention? No," she scoffed, turning and tossing her apple core in a nearby trashcan. "What does that even mean? Special attention?"

"You know. Like, does anyone seem overprotective, or a little crazy, or really picky? One that'll be calling you all the time about problems that aren't even problems."

She could've hit herself as she listened to Paul answer her. Of course that's what Sasha meant. That made so much more sense than what Michonne feared. She might be thinking about Rick Grimes slightly more than she probably should, but no one else was.

She tried her best to control her expression as she finally turned to face Paul, forcing her lips into a casual smile.

"Oh. Yeah. Duh."

She held her breath as she waited to see if her friend would be able to read anything on her face. Paul stared at her curiously for a moment before the corner of his mouth began to turn up.

Shit.

"Wait, what did you think I meant?"

She turned to glance at Sasha quickly, who was now staring between both Paul and Michonne, a puzzled look on her face. Suddenly, Paul chuckled, and Michonne snapped her head back toward him to find his grin had only grown, and a mischievous glint now shined in his eyes.

Shit, she was busted.

She heard Sasha gasp, and Michonne closed her eyes, groaning now that she knew both friends had found her out.

"Oh my God, Michonne, you like - "

Michonne spun in her chair and clamped her hand over Sasha's mouth immediately. She stared at her friend pleadingly.

"Please, Sasha, keep it down."

Michonne quickly glanced around the teacher's lounge to make sure no one had overheard and taken interest in their conversation. The room was mostly empty. There were only two other teachers there, and they were sitting on the other side of the room, the day's newspaper open to the sports section between them, absorbed in a spirited discussion of last night's baseball scores.

Both Sasha and Paul leaned closer into Michonne.

"So?" Sasha whispered. "Who is he?"

"Yeah, Michonne," Paul pressed. "Spill."

"It's no one."

Sasha rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on, girl."

"Okay, listen. I don't like him," Michonne rushed to clarify, even though that wasn't the truth, really. "I just…he was attractive. That's it."

Her friends were silent as they waited for her to continue, and Michonne couldn't help the shy smile that crept onto her lips as she thought of his clear blue eyes gazing at her, his warm, soft smile, his bowlegged gait as he walked away from her and towards his car with Judith the night of the open house.

She didn't even mean to say anything else. It just slipped out.

"He's really attractive."

And sweet. And a great father, Michonne tacked on in her mind. And then there was that something else. She didn't know quite what it was, but she knew she liked it.

"Michonne Anthony," Paul began, his voice completely serious. "You have to tell us who this guy is."

"Listen. Yeah, he was hot. But it's not like I'm ever going to see him. I'm not going to hang around with my students' parents all the time. He seems completely normal, and his daughter is wonderful, so I don't think I'll have to pay any special attention to him."

"So a single, hot dad with a daughter in Michonne's preschool class," Sasha said, tapping her chin with her finger.

Paul and Sasha eagerly waited for Michonne to continue, but she went back to eating her lunch without another word.

"I can't believe you're going to leave us hanging on this, Michonne," Sasha mumbled, but she glanced at Paul and they silently agreed to let it go. They hadn't known Michonne terribly long, but she didn't make it a habit to reveal details of her past romantic relationships. Maybe she was just private about that stuff. They didn't want to pry.

The three of them continued to eat, but Michonne stopped suddenly, biting her lip. She was dreading what she was about to ask, but she really wanted to know. Maybe if she just brought it up now, she wouldn't be put through another embarrassing conversation about it.

"Just out of curiosity - do teachers ever date a parent of one of their students? Is that something that ever happens?"

Her two friends just stared at her for a moment, and then Sasha grabbed her arm, shaking her slightly.

"Come on, Michonne. You have to tell us."

"Seriously," Paul added. "This is torture."

Michonne dropped her head in her hands and sighed loudly. She couldn't believe she was about to do this.

"It's Judith's dad," Michonne grumbled into her palms.

"What?" Sasha and Paul asked in unison.

"It's Judith Grimes' dad," she repeated in a clearer voice.

Paul perked up immediately.

"Grimes?"

"Wait, Rick Grimes?"

"Sasha," Michonne scolded, elbowing her friend. Sasha's words were too loud for Michonne's liking, and she scanned the room again. Luckily, the two other teachers had already left the lounge. Michonne looked at the time on her phone. Lunch period was almost over.

Paul and Sasha just stared into space for a few seconds, and Michonne looked at them nervously. They almost looked stunned.

"Wow, Michonne," Paul said, finally. "You're right. He is hot."

Michonne's brow furrowed.

"Wait, you guys have talked about him before?"

"Um, yeah," Sasha revealed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Us and everyone else. You think the teachers don't gossip about the hot parents? Plus, Judith has an older brother in sixth grade."

"Carl," Michonne said.

"Yeah. So Mr. Grimes has been around for awhile. And to answer your question, no. Teachers here don't really date parents. At least, not as long as I've worked here."

"But," Paul chimed in, "I think an exception can be made. Especially for someone like Rick Grimes."

"Oh, definitely," Sasha agreed. "I was getting to that part."

"Really?" Michonne asked softly. She couldn't help the small pang of excitement that began to beat in her heart.

"Yes," Paul said emphatically.

"I think you should go for it," Sasha told her in a sing-songy voice.

Michonne shrugged.

"I don't know. I've only seen him the one time, at open house. Well, and at the grocery store over the weekend."

Sasha's eyebrows shot up.

"Oh?" questioned Paul.

"It was a total coincidence," Michonne assured them, rolling her eyes at her friends who were seemingly insatiable for information about her and Rick. "I ran in for a few things and I bumped into him and Judith and Carl in the checkout line."

"Coincidence?" Sasha mused, sending a sly glance Paul's way. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Sounds like fate to me," Paul teased.

Michonne exhaled slowly.

"I can't deal with you two."

"Don't lie, girl," Sasha told her, smirking. "You know you love us."

"Barely," Michonne murmured.

Sasha and Paul burst out laughing, and Michonne put her hands over her face again. But this time, it was mostly to hide the smile that she couldn't seem to hold back.

She couldn't believe this was happening.

* * *

"Rick? Hey, Rick."

Rick jumped as someone snapped their fingers in front of his face, and he blinked and focused to find Glenn gazing at him with an exasperated expression on his face.

"You okay, dude? This is like, the fourth time you've spaced out tonight."

"It's no use," Shane said from beside Rick, nursing his second beer of the night. "He's been like this all day. You try to have a conversation with him, and he ain't even listening to half of what you have to say."

Rick looked at his best friend and partner with a slight frown on his face. He hadn't realized Shane had picked up on how distracted he'd been at work today. He guessed it shouldn't have surprised him. The two of them were best friends, and had been nearly inseparable since second grade. Now that they were in their early forties and spent basically every day together as partners at King County's sheriff department, Shane probably knew him better than anyone.

"Sorry," Rick said. "I must have a lot on my mind. I'm a little tired."

"Everything okay?" Glenn asked from across the table. "You want to cut tonight short?"

Rick, Glenn, and Shane met every Monday at the pizza shop Glenn owned. Carl and Judith always spent Mondays with their mother, so it served as a perfect opportunity for the three of them to spend the evening sharing a couple of free pizzas and drinks, courtesy of Glenn, and catch up on each other's lives. Although Rick and Shane saw each other everyday, they weren't able to spend as much quality time with Glenn as they would've liked to. Glenn had moved to King County a few years ago to open his restaurant, and it had been an immediate success, thanks in large part to its owner. Glenn was one of the best people Rick had ever met in his life, and people were quick to support him and accept him as one of King County's own. The delicious food was just an added bonus, and it was one of the things that had attracted Rick to the shop in the first place, coupled with its close proximity to his home. He and Glenn had become fast friends, and when Rick introduced him to Shane, the two hit it off despite their almost completely opposite personalities.

Rick smiled and shook his head, trying to ease his friends' concerns.

"Nah, I'm fine. Like I said, I'm probably just tired."

Except, that wasn't really true. He wasn't tired. And he didn't have much on his mind. In fact, he had only one thing on his mind. That was the problem.

He couldn't stop thinking of Judith's new teacher. Michonne Anthony.

The woman had intrigued him ever since she first moved into town and took over for Mrs. Miller. Judith had immediately fallen in love with her, coming home and going on for hours about all the new, exciting things her and the rest of her classmates were doing with Miss A. Judith had never been more eager to go to school everyday. And that appealed to him immensely, long before he actually met Miss A in person. Anyone who was that good to his daughter got a passing grade in his book.

However, when he did meet her in person, she nearly knocked him off his feet.

It wasn't just that she was beautiful, although she undoubtedly was. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd met someone as beautiful as her. Michonne Anthony, with her wide, kind, brown eyes and smile that could light up an entire room.

But it was more than that. It was the way every child - not just Judith - was enthralled by her, her warm personality, the ease and grace with which she navigated the room at the open house. It was how natural she was with Judith when they'd run into each other at the store on Saturday, and how she seemed to genuinely care about his daughter.

There was something else, too. Something he couldn't put his finger on, or quantify. It was intangible. He couldn't name it. But he had been drawn to it immediately. And now he couldn't get it, or her, out of his head.

Since that night at Judith's school, every time he had a quiet moment, his thoughts tended to drift to her. And according to Shane and Glenn, it was starting to show.

Rick shook his head again, as if he was trying to shake her from him mentally with his physical actions. He took a deep breath and tried his best to focus on his friends.

"Anyways, what did I miss?"

"I asked you how Carl's baseball game went last week," Glenn informed him.

"Oh. It went well. Carl hit a home run," Rick reported, smiling at the pride that swelled in his chest when he thought of his son.

"Awesome!"

"Yeah, the kid definitely gets his baseball skills from his Uncle Shane, and not from his dad," Shane declared.

Rick rolled his eyes, and picked up a slice of pizza. As he bit into it, his thoughts once again drifted back to Michonne, and how they'd discussed Glenn's restaurant when they'd spoken at the grocery store. He had really wanted to invite her to eat with them sometime. He wondered what she would've said.

"Jesus, Rick."

Rick felt a dull ache as Shane punched his shoulder to get his attention.

"For real, Rick," Glenn said. "Where are you tonight?"

Rick went to play his distraction off again, but hesitated, instead grabbing his beer and taking a sip. He couldn't seem to bury his interest in Michonne, and he knew he wouldn't be able to until he decided what to do about it. Plus, he hadn't tried asking anyone out for the first time since he approached Lori back in high school. He could use some advice.

So he went for it.

"Question. What do you do if you like a girl, and you want to ask her out, but you're not sure if she likes you back and you don't want to make anything awkward? Also, what if the situation between you is kind of…unusual, I guess, and you're not even sure if you should risk asking her out in the first place?"

Both Shane and Glenn stared at Rick in silence. He could feel heat rising in his chest and up to his cheeks as a light pink blush began to color his skin. He was about to tell everyone to just forget he said anything when Shane barked out a loud laugh.

"Well, would you look at that," Shane said, a huge smile taking over his face. "Boy Scout finally has a pulse after the divorce."

Rick groaned.

"Shane, can we please be serious about this?"

"What do you mean? I'm being serious as hell. I've been waiting a year for this moment."

Rick bit back the urge to groan again, and turned his eyes to Glenn for help, but his friend lifted up his hands in front of him.

"Hey, don't look at me. You're the one that brought it up in front of him."

Rick closed his eyes, bringing his hand up to rub his temples.

"Yeah, maybe that was a mistake."

"No, brother," Shane said, moving one of his hands to rest on Rick's back. "I'm really, seriously happy for you. And if you're going to get dating advice from someone, it should probably be from me."

"That's true," Glenn agreed. "I've dated about two girls in my entire life."

"Yeah, and he proposed to the second one."

Glenn crossed his arms defensively at Shane's comment.

"Hey, sometimes you're lucky enough to find the right girl right away."

A few months ago, Glenn had gotten engaged to Hershel Greene's oldest daughter, Maggie. Their family lived on a farm at the edge of town. They were wonderful people, and Glenn and Maggie couldn't have been a better couple.

"Sure," Shane conceded. "And Maggie's a great girl. I'm not knocking your decision, I'm just pointing out that it doesn't leave you with the best dating advice."

"So, are you going to give me this wonderful advice you have, or are you going to keep making fun of me?" Rick asked impatiently.

"Relax, brother. I'm not making fun of you," Shane insisted, shifting all his attention to his best friend. "I promise. So let me make sure I have the situation straight. You like this girl, and you want to ask her out, but you don't know if she likes you. And you're in some kind of unique situation with her, so you're not sure if it's smart for you to ask her out at all. Correct?"

"Correct," Rick confirmed.

"You want to tell me what this unique situation is?"

"Nope," Rick said immediately. He wasn't going to give Shane any hint that might lead him to figure out that the woman in question was Michonne. Knowing Shane, the whole town would know by the next afternoon.

"You sure? It would really help me tailor my advice if I could get some more details."

"Well, you're not getting anymore details, so make do with what you have."

"Fine," Shane said with a sigh. "Well, the way I see it, you have two options. One - you could let your fear get the best of you and do nothing, and watch your girl go off and fall in love with some other guy while you're stuck never knowing what could've happened if you'd had the balls to ask her out. Or, two - you bite the bullet and go for it. Sure, it could end horribly. Or it could be the best decision you'll ever make in your life."

Shane took a long sip of his beer, and then ran his hand over his head.

"Personally, I'd go with option two."

"Same," Glenn agreed from across the table. "If you don't, you might spend your whole life wondering what would've happened. I know my experience is limited, but it seems like that would really suck."

Shane tilted his bottle towards Glenn.

"You know what they say. It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

"Wow, Shane," Glenn said, a smirk on his face. "I didn't know you could quote Tennyson."

Shane started at Glenn blankly.

"Um…"

Glenn chuckled.

"You have no idea who Tennyson is, do you?"

"Not a clue," Shane admitted shamelessly.

"Yeah, you never struck me as the kind of guy who was into poetry."

Rick half-listened to his two friends go back and forth, but his mind was still stuck on Michonne. He considered everything Shane and Glenn had said. Their advice made sense. And the more he thought about it, the more he agreed with them. He didn't want to end up with unresolved feelings about his situation with Michonne, and be curious for, potentially, years to come regarding what would've happened if he'd only had the nerve to ask her on a date. And the school year was almost over. If things did go south, he could probably avoid Miss A for the most part, and then Judith would move on to kindergarten and he could put any leftover mess behind him.

He didn't think he would have to, though, because he didn't think that things would go south. He had no real reason to believe that; he'd spent minimal time with Michonne. She seemed happy and at ease with him in their brief interactions, but maybe that was just her being polite and trying to get along with the parent of one of her students.

But he felt something deep in his gut. That intangible thing. He couldn't shake his sense that this could be the start of something really good.

"Wow, Rick," he heard Shane say as he reached over and clapped Rick on the back again. "Finally. I was afraid this was never going to happen."

Rick rolled his eyes at Shane almost on reflex, but a small smile played on his lips as he brought his beer bottle back to his lips.

He couldn't believe this was happening.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Written by DirtieBirdie17**

 **(find more of DirtieBirdie17's writing under our favorite authors or check out her tumblr page)**

* * *

Glenn scanned the crowded dining area from behind the service counter of his pizzeria and caught sight of Rick, who motioned for him to come over. When he noticed that Judith had fallen asleep on the bench next to her father, he grabbed a tablecloth from the shelf and brought it over.

Rick got up and took it, placing the folded fabric gently under his daughter's head.

"Someone's pooped," Glenn commented, his head tilted sideways as he grinned at the typically precocious preschooler.

"She's usually wiped by Friday, so no surprise there," Rick grufffed, his voice slow and raspy.

"I was talking about you," Glenn tossed back half-jokingly, making his way to the front alongside Rick, who brushed off the dig completely. After a few moments of silence, he asked "Are you still mulling over that dilemma of yours?"

Rick grimaced, silently cursing himself yet again for having broached the subject of dating with his best friends on Monday. Shane had been incessantly hounding him for more details all week, trying to break him until he caved, and although it had almost worked, Rick had stood his ground so he wasn't about to yield to Glenn now. Ignoring the question, he just glared at him instead, mentally implicating his two buddies as the probable reason why he was so goddamn tired today.

Glenn noticed. "So a single and an RBI triple, huh?" he inquired in an effort to change the subject, being as enthusiastically supportive as always.

"Yeah, it was great. Carl's been in such a groove," beamed Rick, grateful for Glenn's redirection. "The whole team has actually. Four for their last five games."

"Everybody knows it's all about having the right sponsor," kidded Glenn, glancing over Rick's shoulder at the group of victorious Little Leaguers in the back who, unsurprisingly, all seemed preoccupied with something on Carl's phone. "Do they need a refill? More pizza?"

Rick, resisting the urge to call it a night, rested his forearm on the counter and nodded. "I have no idea where they'd put it, but I'm pretty sure if you served them the whole kitchen, they'd eat it all."

"Well," joked Glenn, stretching out the word for emphasis. "How about just a couple more pies for now? I've already got some started."

"Sounds good," sighed Rick as he nonchalantly glanced at his watch. As much as he loved celebrating a win with his son, he wanted nothing more than to pull off his boots, collapse onto his bed and just sleep. The week had been a decidedly grueling one, what with an unusually busy workload and Shane's relentless interrogation, but only now could he admit that it was his burgeoning infatuation with Michonne that had really done a number on him.

"Yeah, sure it does," Glenn chided sarcastically, attuned not only to the weariness in his friend's voice, but his obvious preoccupation with other matters. He knew exactly what was bothering Rick, but opted to let it go, considering that he had just been on the receiving end of one of those infamous Grimes death stares. "How about you? Another coke? Water? Some warm milk?"

Rick glared back once more after the last question then held his face in his hands, conceding defeat in his struggle to mask his exhaustion. "Is it that obvious?" he queried, his voice muffled yet playful.

"Yeah, well between wedding planning with Maggie and business really picking up of late, I shouldn't talk. It's exhausting," Glenn replied, patting him on the arm in solidarity. "Just take it easy and relax. I've got everything covered."

The happy-go-lucky restaurateur scooted back towards his fiancé Maggie, who, despite having worked a full day at her own job, was as sprightly and enterprising as ever. She knew Friday nights here were particularly busy, especially when the KC Crushers paid a celebratory visit, so helping Glenn out on weekends was a no-brainer. He snuck in a quick appreciative kiss on her lips so she gave him a playful pat on his rear in response, giggling at his satisfied expression before they both resumed their work.

Rick caught himself smiling at the sight of his friends' unabashed ebullience, and felt a mild rush of nostalgia for a time when it seemed that every day was full of firsts and every glance was full of the promise of intriguing things to come. It occurred to him that he didn't have to think too far back to recall when he'd last felt like this. The more he thought of Michonne, which had basically been non-stop since their first meeting, the more he realized that she had reignited a small spark from that aspect of his past life.

As he wondered when he'd have the opportunity to run into her again, his phone vibrated, rousing him from his brief reverie. He read the text message pleading for more food then turned toward his son and gave him an incredulous stare.

"Are you seriously too lazy to get up and ask me?" he wrote, shaking his head in feigned annoyance.

"Not any lazier than you are to get up and ask me that."

Rick couldn't help himself but snicker, knowing that his son had a point. He gazed back up to see Carl shrugging as if to ask 'What?' and returned the gesture with one of his own, playfully mimicking a slap to his face. He proceeded to thumb out a response.

"You're lucky that Glenn likes you."

"Evening," said Glenn, as an unfamiliar face entered his place. "Can I help you?"

"Hi. Yes, I'm picking up an order."

Rick continued his reply. "More pizza is on its way." He winked at Carl, who gave him a thumbs up before rejoining his friends in conversation.

"For Michonne."

Rick instantly shifted from a slouched posture to his usual, confidently upright stance upon hearing her name. He turned, immediately taking notice of how amazing Michonne looked in a simple tee, white short-sleeved blazer, and jeans, all which seemed perfectly tailored to her slim, toned body.

"Yep, it's right here," Glenn replied, placing a warm box on the counter. "Perfect timing. Just pulled it out of the oven."

"Perfect," she responded, having just caught sight of the familiarly attractive face in her periphery. Despite having entertained the possibility that he'd be here, Michonne trembled with surprise, then chided herself for her ineptitude at maintaining her composure.

Rick, happy to have been discovered, practically pounced toward her, much to the amusement of Glenn, who noted how quickly he seemed to have gotten his energy back.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise," greeted Rick, oblivious to the inquisitive eyes fixated on both himself and the lovely woman beaming back at him. "Getting some dinner?"

Michonne, unable to contain the slight giggle that made its way past her coquettish smile, placed her hand on the pizza box, glanced down at it, then zeroed back in on his inviting eyes.

"That was a stupid question, wasn't it?" he added, sheepishly running his hand through his unruly curls.

"As a teacher, I'm supposed to say that there are no stupid questions…but-," she quipped, letting the last word linger in the air.

"Ah, I see how it is," Rick chuckled audibly, his dimples practically perforating his cheeks. "So I'll take that as a yes."

Michonne chose to plead the fifth, laughing at his adorable self-deprecation instead. She was getting a kick out of Rick's expression of faux indignation and wanted it to last for as long as possible, but when it finally morphed back into his warm smile, she simply responded a few beats later with a coy, "Hello, Rick."

"Hi," he greeted back, charmingly unaware of just how attractive he was in a black t-shirt and jeans. "I thought I'd might see you here."

Michonne smiled and nervously ran her fingers through the hair behind her ear, giving them something to do to other than tap nervously on the counter. It was as if Rick had read her mind, since she had been thinking the same thing, but was grateful that he couldn't. If he only knew how emphatically she had insisted to her friends that they get pizza tonight and that she'd be the one to pick it up, she'd never hear the end of it.

A brief silence filled the suddenly warm air between them, prompting Glenn to retreat towards the kitchen while trying not to forfeit his view of the events unfolding before him.

"This place came highly recommended by an up-and-coming young pizza-chef so I thought I'd check it out," offered Michonne, who stopped short of admitting that she'd secretly hoped he'd be here too. She could feel the blood rush to her face, and while she silently prayed that Rick would be unable to see through the pretense, a part of her wished he would.

"You won't regret it," he intoned softly, picking up on the ambiguity of his statement a few seconds too late. He coughed uneasily, leaning back slightly to relieve the tension, and added, "I mean, Judith knows her stuff. Glenn's is the best. Speaking of, let me introduce you to him -"

They both turned, expecting to find the owner where they had last seen him, but instead spotted Glenn's head on the other side of the swinging kitchen door. Rick, assuming that Glenn had probably been staring at them a second earlier, tried in vain to get his attention, then decided to let it go, determined not to waste this opportunity with Michonne.

"I guess it's a busy night…" Rick offered, brushing off Glenn's sudden disappearance.

As the two resumed their banter, Glenn, who couldn't help himself, texted Shane.

G: I think our boy is making his move.

Twenty seconds later he received a response.

S: Rick?

G: Who else, dumbass?

S: Where?

G: Carl's team won so they're having pizza. Someone just walked in…never seen him jump up so fast

S: Are u shitting me? I'm missing this? Who?

G: don't know her but she's cute

S: Just cute?

G: dude, Maggie's here

S: u for real right now? what does she look like?

Suddenly Glenn flinched as Maggie, who had noticed her fiancé's odd behavior, seemed to appear out of nowhere.

G: give me a sec

"Ok, spill it. What are you doing?" she queried in that playfully stern tone that occasionally made an appearance, especially when Glenn and his friends were involved.

"Nothing," he lied, despite knowing that he wouldn't get out of this. "Just texting Shane about something."

S: what's happening?

"It wouldn't be about Rick and that woman over there, would it?" she inquired, nudging her nose towards the couple.

"And if it were?" he smiled in that puppy dog 'don't hurt me' sort of way.

"Oh my god, is she the one you told me about?"

"That would be my guess."

"Then don't be so obvious!," she reprimanded him good-naturedly, simultaneously enjoying this little stake-out they were participating in. "Don't ruin it for him!"

"I won't," he avered, continuing his conversation with Shane.

S: so what the hell is happening?

G: there's definitely something going on

S: That's it. I'm coming over

G: don't be an idiot

"If anybody will, it's Shane," he said, after responding to the latest text. "See?"

Glenn held the phone up to show Maggie the evidence, who yelped when she read Shane's last message. "Hell no!", she added to drive the point home.

Realizing that her protest may have resonated a little too loudly, she looked up to see if anyone noticed. Thankfully Rick and his friend seemed blissfully unaware of everything around them, so she resumed her admonition, successfully swiping the phone from Glenn's hand. "I will kick him out if he comes here," she warned light heartedly and began to feverishly type a response to his last text:

S: Dude- you're the one who texted ME, so this is on you…you're the idiot

M: this is Maggie - love ya but you're BOTH idiots. Leave Rick alone.

S: sorry Mags, but I need some details. This is my bro were talking about.

M: I'm sure Glenn will fill you in as soon as I give him this phone back

S: oh, he better

M: I will say this….they both seem VERY happy to see each other

M: And for the record, she's gorgeous

Michonne shifted her eyes towards the dining area, finding the intensity of Rick's gaze momentarily overwhelming. She was impressed by how modern yet charming this place was, with its funky artwork and subtle retro-vibe, and decided that it was assuredly a few steps up from the typical pizza joint. It seemed Rick had some cool friends.

"So is it always this packed?" she questioned, as she caught sight of Carl laughing with his friends.

"It gets a decent crowd most nights, but Carl's team is celebrating a win so it's really full tonight," he bragged, nodding towards the energetic bunch. "Glenn sponsors them."

"Yes, I see. Well, congratulations are in order then," she acknowledged, getting a kick out of seeing Rick in proud-Daddy mode. "And where's Miss Judith this evening?"

Rick gently took hold of her arm and pulled her slightly closer to him, pointing out his daughter who was now contorted in slumber in that adorable way four-year-olds often are.

"How sweet is she?" beamed the doting father, inwardly marveling at how his daughter could fall asleep at any time and place.

"The sweetest," echoed Michonne as she leaned in a shade closer to him, much to Rick's delight. Immediately, Michonne took notice of her own body's physiological responses to the sensation of Rick's touch and hoped they'd be subtle enough to go unnoticed.

"…most of the time," she added in jest, laughing in tandem with Rick after his knowing nod of agreement.

"Yeah," he smiled, his lips curling up in that same sexy way they did the first time she saw him. "She definitely has her moments."

Michonne admired the devotion she saw in his eyes whenever he spoke of his children, adding it to her ever-growing list of his appealing attributes she had mentally catalogued since meeting him.  
Although she was enjoying this repartee with Rick immensely, and found him to be as charming as always, she did find it increasingly difficult to conceal her burgeoning fondness for him, especially since all she could focus on was how close they were now standing to each other and how incredibly hot he looked.

Rick, likewise, was taken in by her, enamored by the fact that she managed to look sophisticated and sexy yet casually laid back at the same time. There was an ease about her that he found incredibly appealing, and all he wanted to do was discover more about her. It also didn't hurt that she smelled incredible, or that her clothes cradled her curves just enough to resuscitate some latent urges.

"So, uh…you still settling into King County?" He queried, genuine in his curiosity, yet desperate to distract her from the fact that he'd just been eyeing those curves.

"I haven't had the chance to really explore all that much, but I like what I've seen so far," she answered mischievously.

"Is that so?" Rick grinned playfully, positive that he detected an invitation of sorts in her flirtatious delivery.

"It certainly has potential," she countered, refusing to take her eyes off his.

With that, Rick had little doubt that his feelings toward her were reciprocated. He was sure she was baiting him to ask her out, but should he? His indecision was driving him crazy, but so was the thought of passing on another opportunity. Ever since his last encounter with her at the grocery store, he had wavered pathetically between rationalizing his inaction and mentally kicking himself for it; the latter often dominating in the end. The truth was, he wasn't certain if the unwritten rule of not dating your child's preschool teacher even existed. What he was certain of, was that he wanted to get to know Michonne better, and in this moment he couldn't think of a logical reason why seeing her would hurt anyone, least of all Judith, who emphatically adored her.

Imagining Shane's voice whispering Tennyson into his ear ad nauseum, Rick told himself, "Screw it," shutting down his own naysaying voice once and for all. He leaned in an inch closer and inhaled fully, hoping the extra oxygen would quell the slight nervousness he could feel propagating through his body. Fumbling with his fingers, he lowered his handsome face and subtlely licked his lips, preparing himself for whatever answer he'd hear.

"Well," he began as he brought his gaze back onto her beautifully wide, expectant eyes, "I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds here, but how about I show you around some time? Get you acquainted with things? We could grab dinner afterwards, or we could-"

"Rick," she hushed, utterly wrecked by the nervous yet sexy timbre of his voice, "I'd really like that."

"Good," he smiled back, breathing a subtle sigh of relief. "Me, too. I've got the kids this weekend, so how about next week sometime?"

"That's perfect," Michonne replied eagerly, hoping that he hadn't taken notice of her shaking hands. She had always been pegged, mocked even, for her cool-as-a-cucumber demeanor, but here she was, struggling mightily to stifle her excitement. The fact was, in her downtime, she had thought of very little aside from Rick Grimes, and now that she'd be spending more time with him - alone time - she started to imagine all the things they could do with and to each other.

Rick took out his phone and began to type, causing Maggie, who had remained frozen in her lookout position alongside Glenn, to squeal with delight.

"He's getting her number," she reported, stating the obvious. "I'm so excited for him!"

Glenn smiled and mumbled, "Yeah, me too," more as an acknowledgment to himself than a response. Glenn could tell that his friend's whole demeanor had changed. Gone was the exasperated, hesitant guy from a few minutes ago and in his place stood the self-assured, affable guy he'd always known him to be.

"You think it's safe to go out there now?" he asked facetiously. "I mean, I do have a business to run and all. Plus it's starting to look suspicious, no?"

Maggie chuckled and admitted that they both got a little carried away. "Yeah, we probably should."

Just as Rick finished entering her info, the nosy couple emerged, failing miserably in their attempt at casual indifference.

Rick pretended not to notice their antics, hoping that Michonne hadn't already discovered how insane his friends could be.

"Sorry about that," explained Glenn, who tried to convince Michonne that he'd been extremely busy with work back in the kitchen.

"Michonne, this is Glenn," offered Rick, doing his best to downplay the situation. "Glenn -Michonne. She recently took over as Judith's pre-school teacher."

"It's nice to meet you, Glenn," she said, holding her hand out to greet him.

"Likewise," he grinned, finally understanding the nature of Rick's unusual situation.

"I love the decor here. It's fabulous."

"Thanks. I hope you feel the same way about the food," kidded Glenn, deciding then and there that she was a keeper.

"And I'm Maggie," blurted out the bubbly brunette, side-eying Glenn for his apparent lack of manners.

"They're engaged," added Rick, pleased to see that his friends seemed genuinely happy to meet her.

"Congratulations," Michonne exclaimed. "How exciting for you both."

There was a tiny pause, as all four of them considered what to say next.

Michonne asked, "So what do I owe?"

Before Glenn could respond, Rick interjected, telling him, "Just add it to the tab for tonight."

Michonne protested. "That's so sweet, but -"

"Please, let me," Rick insisted.

"Rick, I-"

"This one's on the house, anyway," Maggie piped in. "It's part of a promotion for first time customers. We want to make sure you come back here the next time you're up for pizza."

Michonne acquiesced, knowing she wasn't going to win this battle.

"Thank you. Truly," she nodded, as she placed her hand over her heart in gratitude. "And I have a feeling I'll definitely be back."

She peered back at Rick as she spoke, and he did the same, both of their faces etched with knowing smiles. Maggie and Glenn took that as a cue to excuse themselves and scampered off to belatedly tend to their customers.

"I should get back," Michonne sighed, unenthused by the prospect of leaving. "It could get ugly if I don't feed my friends soon."

"If they get half as bad as Carl does when he's hungry, believe me, I understand." Rick picked up the box of pizza in one hand and grazed Michonne's arm with the other. "Let me walk you out to your car," he whispered before glancing back at Judith.

He caught sight of Maggie out of the corner of his eye, gesturing and nudging him to go. "I'll keep an eye on her," she mouthed, thrilled to see her friend so unequivocally happy.

Rick nodded then turned toward the exit, opening the door and respectfully motioning for Michonne to go ahead. She obliged, giggling at herself for how utterly smitten she was with this insanely adorable, attentive man.

Once they reached her car, which was parked only a few steps from the entrance, she spun around to face him. She was surprised by how giddy he made her feel, but took comfort in the fact that she seemed to be having the same effect on him.

"Your friends seem great," she mused earnestly before arching her lips in a wry smirk. "But they're horrible liars. There's clearly no promotion."

"Oh, there is," he avered, unconvincingly deadpan. "But I think it just started…and ended, with you."

She stared at his inscrutable face before they both lost it, letting their breezy laughter diffuse through the air until all that remained were the possibilities in the silence.

"I really should get going," she lamented, "My friends are going to kill me."

"Well I don't want that to happen, so yes, you should go," he joked, tilting his head as if shooing her away.

"Goodnight, Rick," she smirked, shaking her head at his cheekiness.

"Goodnight, Michonne" he whispered, piercing her luminous eyes with his.

As Michonne got into her car, Rick took a few steps back to give her room, taking advantage of the view the increased distance and her movements afforded him. As his gaze lingeringly shifted focus from her perfect backside to her flawless face, she waited, cognizant of yet amenable to his wandering eyes. She had stolen a few glances of his physical attributes randomly during their conversation, so she certainly couldn't fault him for doing the same.

He handed her the pizza, which was cold at this point, and shut the door while she turned the ignition. Michonne lowered her window, and waved halfheartedly, reluctant to say goodbye.

"Get home safely," Rick directed.

"You, too," she replied.

"I'll call you soon."

"I'm looking forward to next week."

"Me too," he grinned then paused before a wry smile crept up. "It certainly has potential."

She shook her head, as if to say "you're too much" then drove off, worried that if she didn't leave now she never would.

Rick stood in the parking lot, smiling to himself as Michonne's car pulled away. He sighed, preparing himself for the military-style grilling he was about to receive, but quickly shrugged it off knowing it'd be worth it. The decision to ask her out had taken a lot of deliberation, but the instant he saw her walk in, he knew that the night couldn't have ended any other way.

Michonne held it together until she was positive that she was long out of view, then gripped the steering wheel with both hands and squeezed, finally letting out the squeal that had wanted to escape since the moment she saw him tonight. She'd have a tough few days ahead of her trying to accomplish anything in anticipation of their date, she knew, but realized she had to get through the gauntlet that was a Sasha-Paul interrogation first.

Michonne took her time on the road, opting not to play music or sing aloud as she normally did. Taking advantage of the perfect weather instead, she kept the window down as the cool evening breeze flickered by, providing the perfect backbeat for the low, raspy sound of Rick's voice to echo in her mind the rest of the way home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Written by queencoles**

 **(find more of queencoles's writing under our favorite authors or check out her tumblr page)**

* * *

"You okay, Dad?"

Rick briefly shifted his eyes from the road before him to his son sitting beside him in the front passenger's seat of his truck and nodded. "Yeah."

"You sure?" Carl pressed, "You've been acting a little off lately."

Rick huffed a laugh, shaking his head lightly. "Just have some things on my mind, that's all," he replied, hoping that would satisfy his son.

And for a moment it did, Carl fell silent and Rick continue to drive the short journey to Lori's home. He lifted his gaze to his rearview mirror to check on his daughter who was adorably slumped over in her carseat.

"Is it her?" Carl asked, breaking the silence once more. "Judith's teacher. I saw you talking to her again at Glenn's the other night."

Rick gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, altogether surprised yet not at all by his son's perceptiveness. "You saw that, huh?"

Carl shrugged and grinned, "I mean, you never looked at any of my teachers like that."

"Guess not," Rick returned with a chuckle as he pulled into his ex-wife's driveway. He cut the engine but instead of getting out he turned to face his son. "I like her," he said, deciding it was best to cut straight to the chase with this one.

Carl nodded maintaining an unwavering eye contact that almost unnerved his father. "I figured. You gonna ask her out?"

"Would it bother you if I did?" Rick sent back, tilting his head slightly as he did.

Carl actually took a moment to think about it then finally shook his head. "No. She seems nice and Judith already loves her so…"

"I know, that's a part of what's been on my mind."

Carl's expression was contemplative. "What's the other part?"

Rick bit down on his lower lip, unsure if he was prepared to divulge much more than he already had. "It's not something I can walk into lightly, Carl," he tried to explain.

"After Mom, you mean?"

Rick tried and failed to school his features. He exhaled through his nose and nodded once. "Yeah."

"You should talk to her about it," Carl offered, unbuckling his seatbelt.

Even though Rick knew he was right, he was still hard pressed to think of a more awkward conversation to have. "I know."

Carl lifted his gaze and inclined his head in the same direction. "No time like the present."

Rick reluctantly followed his gaze and sighed. Lori was standing in the open doorway, arms folded over her chest and a look of confusion on her face. Probably because they were still sitting in the car.

"Yeah…"

Carl smirked and nodded but didn't say anything more as he got his belongings together and hopped out of the truck's cabin. Rick followed suit, taking his time to circle around the truck to collect his daughter.

"Hey Mom," Carl greeted as he made his way up the steps.

Lori pulled away from the door to meet him, running her fingers through his growing hair. "Hey baby," she returned, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Did you have a good time?"

"Always," he said with an easy smile before going inside the house.

Lori smiled after him then turned her attention to Rick and their sleeping daughter making their way up the porch steps. "How long has she been out?" she asked when they were near.

"Since the minute we pulled onto the street."

Lori grinned knowingly as she rubbed her hand up and down Judith's back. "You want to tuck her in?"

Rick hefted Judith a little and nodded. "Yeah. Do you have a minute after? I wanted to talk to you about something."

Lori's brows furrowed at that. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," he assured her, lifting his gaze to the starlit sky above them. "It's a nice night, think we can talk out here?"

Lori nodded and he made his way into the house and up the stairs to tuck in their baby girl. She was curious about he had to say especially because whatever it was made him seem a little nervous. A small part of her wanted to go ask Carl what they had talked about in the car, thinking that had something to do with it, but she decided against it. Instead she choose to take a seat on the top step and wait for Rick to return.

It didn't take too long. Just long enough for Judith to undoubtedly wake up the minute she placed in her bed only for Rick to coax her back to sleep with his rendition of a lullaby. Lori had witnessed the routine often enough herself to know the run down.

And after a few minutes the sounds of his worn cowboy boots had made their steady return down the steps. When he opened the door he exhaled deeply as he came to take a seat next to her.

"Johnny Cash?" she guessed.

Rick chuckled and shook his head. "George Strait."

Lori hummed in approval and took a deep breath as a gentle breeze drifted over them. A comfortable silence fell over them as Lori waited patiently for Rick to say whatever it was that was on his mind.

"You ever think about dating again?" he suddenly asked without preamble.

Lori blinked and turned to him. "Rick, I thought we decided a long time ago that we're much better as friends."

He laughed which made her laugh but she still wasn't sure where this conversation was headed. "Not each other," he amended, "but overall."

Lori shrugged, biting down on her lip with a thoughtful expression. "I haven't really thought about it," she said, "but I suppose if the opportunity ever presented itself I wouldn't shy away from it. Have you?"

Rick nodded and Lori leaned over to consider his own contemplative expression when her eyes widened in realization.

"Rick, are you…?"

"I asked someone out," he said, finally.

Lori gasped and immediately shifted to face her ex-husband. "Oh my God, who? Do I know her? Dear God, of course I have to know her in this town. Just tell me it isn't that Jessie woman from Owl Street."

Rick watched in amusement as she rattled off words before he could say anything. He had expected this conversation to play out in a lot of different ways but her sudden enthusiasm on the matter was not one of them.

"No, not the Jessie woman from Owl Street," he confirmed with a small smile.

Lori visibly relaxed. "Good. Well? Who is it then?"

"Michonne Anthony."

The moment he said her name Lori's curiosity returned to genuine surprise. "Miss A? Judy's teacher?"

Rick nodded again.

"Wow," she breathed, "How'd you manage that?"

It was Rick's turn to blink. "Excuse me?"

Lori nudged his shoulder with her own and laughed. "Just saying, the woman is gorgeous."

Rick couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"She's also Judy's teacher," Lori added as she thought over the arrangement. "And Judy loves her so if you do this you should take it seriously."

"I wouldn't do it if I wasn't," Rick told her.

Lori smiled knowing that to be true. Rick was anything if not a noble man. Knowing that about him made Lori curious about something. "How long did you stew on this before you finally asked her?"

"Would you believe me if I told you the night I met her."

Lori sighed, a knowing smile in place as she leaned back on her hands. "You mean the parent-teacher night?"

Rick nodded.

"Doesn't surprise me at all," she easily returned as she sat up a little, "So you've already asked her and I'm assuming she said yes. So clearly you're not looking for permission but I am glad you told me."

Rick looked over at her. "What you think matters to me, Lori," he told her honestly.

"I meant what I said, Rick. We're much better off as friends but I know you're a good man. And if this plays out right with Miss A. then I'm sure she'll find that soon enough."

Michonne was settled on her living room sofa, a stemless glass of merlot in one hand and a well worn copy of Sacred Woman in the other. She quietly was enjoying her last peaceful night before the rush of Monday morning rolled around again.

Until her peace was disturbed by the ringing of her cell phone on her kitchen island counter behind her.

She closed her book and set it on the coffee table before standing to retrieve the device, smiling at the name and face that appeared on the screen.

"Hey Mama," she greeted warmly as her mother's face popped up.

"Hey baby," Mrs. Anthony replied with an identical smile.

"I called you earlier, I thought you'd be in bed by now."

"Nope, I'm just getting back in with your Daddy, see," Mrs. Anthony swiveled the camera around and Michonne saw the familiar layout of her family's living room where her father was sitting in his designated chair, relaxed but still dressed in a nice tuxedo.

"Hey baby girl," the older man greeted, waving with his signature evening cap of cognac in hand.

Michonne peered into the phone and grinned. "Hi Daddy, you look nice. Where have you guys been?"

The camera swiveled back around to her mother. "The High had a cocktail party for the new exhibit they're debuting. Your father had tickets," she explain, pulling the camera further away so Michonne could see her dark blue wrap attire for the evening.

"Wow, you guys showed up and showed out," Michonne complemented, "Who was the featured artist?"

"Harmonia Rosales. She has amazing talent, honey, we have to go back when you come up for a visit," Mrs. Anthony told her.

Michonne nodded, returning back to her own living room to retrieve her glass of wine for a refill. "Absolutely, I've seen her work. She's incredible."

Mrs. Anthony seemed to mimic her actions, moving into her own kitchen and setting her phone upright on the counter to free her hands to pour a glass of her own. "Enough about us. How have you been?"

"I've been doing well. Really well, actually. I think this was a good move for me, Mama."

Mrs. Anthony seemed pleased to hear this. "That's good, baby. I'll admit I had my concerns but I'm happy you're happy. So, do you like the school? The students? Have you made any friends there yet?"

Michonne laughed at her mother's eagerness. "Yes, yes, and yes. I adore my students, switching back to younger kids was a refreshing change. They're absolute darlings."

"Oh good," her mother said visibly relieved to learn that the transition was going well.

Michonne noted this. "You don't have to worry about me, Mama," she said, able to see the concern that still lingered behind her mother's eyes.

"I'll always worry about you, Michonne, you ought to be used to it by now."

Michonne laughed under her breath, knowing that to be true.

"So what else is new? Anything exciting happening in Kings County?"

"Well," Michonne began debating for the millionth time whether or not to disclose this bit of information to her mother, "there is something."

Mrs. Anthony did not miss her hesitation, she inclined her head a little. "You mean someone," she assessed immediately. "Who?"

Michonne blinked not expecting her mother to have picked up on that so quickly. "Oh my God, Mama."

"Mother's intuition," Mrs. Anthony quipped, " tell me all about him. How did you meet?"

"He's the father of one of my students," Michonne explained, immediately biting her lip while gauging her mother's response.

"I see," Mrs. Anthony replied carefully before leveling a look. "Single, I hope."

Michonne tried not to take a offense knowing her mother only had her best interest at heart, but honestly… "He's divorced."

Mrs. Anthony nodded thoughtfully. "Be careful with that, baby. If you think Atlanta gossips wait till you experience the run of the mill in a small town."

Michonne agreed with her on that one. "I know. It took some time for me to open up to the idea but…I really like him, Mama."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Mrs. Anthony asked plaintively.

Michonne hid her smile behind the rim of her wine glass, taking a sip before saying, "We're going out next weekend."

"Well I look forward to hearing more about him then, what's his name?"

"Rick, Rick Grimes."

"That sounds like a cowboy name if I ever one one!" Mrs. Anthony laughingly replied.

Michonne joined in her amusement. "He is like something right out of a John Wayne movie, in a charming way."

"Don't tell me he goes around in cowboy boots and riding chaps," Mrs. Anthony joked.

Michonne burst into a fit of giggles. "Well I haven't seen any chaps," she said and her mother laughed along with her.

"Oh lord, now I really can't wait to hear more about him."

Michonne was about to say something else when her father's voice sounded from the background. "What are y'all two in hearing giggling about?"

"None of your business," Mrs. Anthony immediately replied, looking off screen at her husband. "Just girl talk."

Michonne heard her father grunt but didn't inquire further. "Well I better let you go. I should get ready for school tomorrow anyway."

Mrs. Anthony rolled her eyes but smiled. "Oh please, like you haven't gotten lessons planned out for the week already. But all right, I'll let you go. Wouldn't want you to miss a call from Cowboy Rick on account of me."

"You are too much, Mama," Michonne returned lightly.

"And just where do you think you get it from? But go on, we love you, Michonne," her mother told her sincerely.

"Thanks, Mama. I love you both, kiss Daddy for me."

Mrs. Anthony blew a kiss into the phone before disconnecting the line.

Michonne sighed contently as she finished off the remainder of her wine, thinking to herself that this was definitely shaping up to be a good move for herself after all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Written by** **lovedevilmoviesbaby**

 **(find more of** **lovedevilmoviesbaby** **'s writing under our favorite authors or check out her tumblr page)**

* * *

Rick glanced into his rearview mirror, appraising his appearance for what felt like the hundredth time that night. He felt absurd, really; it had been years since he wondered what others thought of his looks, long since passed the time in his life where insecurities commanded his thoughts. He adjusted the sleeves of his blue button-down shirt, wondering if he ought to have worn a tie.

"You got this," he breathed, smoothing his hair back one last time. Shane's words were ringing in his ears.

"Be yourself. Just smoother," his friend had shrugged like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Glenn had been slightly more helpful. "She said yes to a date, right? She must like you."

Rick focused on that thought as he made his way out of the car, padding his way up the front walk to Michonne's modest brick house, and ringing the doorbell. With a start, he realized he'd left the flower he'd purchased for her in the car. He had half a mind to race back for it when her front door swung open.

"Rick," she said his name like it was a song, the melody falling from her lovely lips like she enjoyed the sound of it.

"Michonne," his voice was thick. The sight of her nearly caused him to choke on his own tongue. He had seen plenty of little black dresses in his 40-something years on earth, but never had they caused this reaction. "You look beautiful," it was so much of an understatement that it might be criminal.

"Thank you," she smiled gratefully, her head tilting slightly as she glanced down at herself. "Are you sure I'm not overdressed?"

Rick cursed himself for forgoing his tie, but managed to reassure her. "You look perfect." From the locs twisted artfully into a large bun on the top of her head, to the graceful curves of her body in that dress, to the point of her slinky black shoes, she was a vision.

"You clean up pretty nice yourself, cowboy," her compliment sent an instant blush racing to his cheeks.

"Just trying to keep up," he grinned at her.

"Let me just grab my purse," she spun around, reaching for something out of sight beyond her door. Rick was treated to the sight of the rear of her dress, the straps leaving her back nearly bare until the fabric began again just above her waist. His mouth ran dry. "Ready?" she asked a moment later, resurfacing with her purse.

"Ready," Rick watched her lock up before offering his arm, leading her down her own driveway. Her smile at the single red rose he gifted her made the flower worth the effort, despite his misgivings about it being too old-fashioned.

"It's beautiful," it matched the color of her painted lips. Rick found himself entranced by the sight. Michonne surprised him when she broke the long stem, tucking the blossom into her hair as though it were an ornament. The effect was striking. "Where are we headed?" she asked conversationally, settling into his passenger seat.

"Someone told me you might like art," he started the car, taking his eyes off her reluctantly. "I think you might have fun tonight."

"I don't doubt it," she leaned back, getting comfortable as he steered them away from the house.

-l-l-l-l-

Michonne gripped the stem of her wine glass, attempting to focus on the painting ahead of her. King's County may not have been the culture capitol of the world, but they gave it their best effort. The event tonight was crowded, couples milling around, clutching half-empty containers of wine and beer. Most of the crowd was congregated near the bar, but a few had made their way into the gallery. Michonne was doing her best to ignore them, staring instead at a rendering of a covered wagon in pastels.

Beside her, Rick nursed his beer, gazing quizzically at the wall in front of them. Michonne hid her smile as she took in his expression; Rick seemed to be a generally kind man, but he couldn't hide his obvious distaste at the art in front of them.

"Do you like it?" she ventured, sipping her drink.

"It's nice," Rick hazarded a smile.

"Really?" Michonne appreciated his effort but was seconds away from laughing. She wondered if his lukewarm passion for art extended beyond the walls of this modest museum. She'd have to take him to a proper gallery one day.

"It…" he paused, taking a swig of his beer. "All of these paintings look the same," he admitted, scrunching up his face. "I thought there might be something here not fromLittle House on the Prairie."

Michonne laughed, the sound echoing off of the concrete floors and drawing attention from nearby spectators. Rick grinned at her, obviously pleased that his joke had landed well. "I think this might be more about the alcohol and less about the art," she observed, finishing her glass.

"Then let me get you another," Rick reached for cup.

"I'll go with you," she quickly volunteered, reluctant to be parted from him.

"Are you sure?" he looked surprised. "I think there's another ten pictures of fields of wheat. That one down there even has a cow in it." His lopsided grin was so endearing that Michonne found herself smiling back widely.

"We can always come back and look at it," she promised, falling in step beside him.

"I'm sorry about this," he apologized a few moments later, after both of their drinks had been refreshed. "I thought there might actually be something interesting in here."

"I think it's pretty interesting," she glanced over at him, struck again by how handsome he looked. The navy color of his shirt played well with his eyes.

"You're a nice person then," laugh lines creased his face as he chuckled. "I've never been here before."

"I was thinking of taking the kids," Michonne took a sip to steady her nerves. She was enjoying being around Rick immensely, but the temptation to touch was almost unbearable. His hand hung close to hers, their skin brushing from time to time. Still, he seemed reluctant to hold it. She wondered if she should just bite the bullet and make the first move. "There's supposed to be a decent children's section."

"Really?" this seemed to interest him. Rick's eyes turned to a sign on the wall, locating the directions. "C'mon." There was a spark in his eyes now that thrilled her.

"Rick," Michonne scurried on her heels to keep up with his excited steps. "I'm sure it's closed."

"Probably," he shrugged, smiling mischievously at her.

"Officer Grimes," she mock gasped, "Are you suggesting we break the rules?"

They came to a stop in front of a roped off section. Rick looked around quickly. "Not break," he shrugged. "Bend them. You have to test it out for the kids."

"You're right," she nodded solemnly, her tone not matching the amusement on her face. "It has to be good enough for the kids. Judith is a harsh critic."

"That she is," his southern twang made Michonne laugh. With a flourish, he stepped over the rope, reaching back to her with his free hand. "C'mon," he urged.

Laughing, her heart pounding against her chest, Michonne took his hand.

-l-l-l-l-

The light was low in this part of the museum, the colorful patterns of the wall just visible. Rick didn't mind. He was far too focused on the softness of Michonne's skin. He wondered what the rest of it felt like, wondered what it would be like to actually hold her. Just the act of holding her hand alone had him excited and nervous all at once.

"This is actually very nice," Michonne's voice was low and she stayed close to his side, brushing against him as they walked. "There's some things in here I think the kids would love."

They passed several short tables built for finger paints and crayons, and a large, brightly colored sculpture. A square booth off to the side drew Rick's eye.

"What's that?" he directed her attention to it, steering them both towards it. Her leg brushed against his and Rick bit down the urge to pull her closer to him.

"I've seen these!" Michonne lit up immediately. She set her wine down on the ground, releasing his hand. Disappointed, Rick watched her. "Let me show you," she coaxed the beer out of his grip, tugging at both of his free hands. Willingly, he followed her.

"It's tight in here," it seemed necessary that he say this out loud. Michonne was mere centimeters in front of him, the bare skin of her back begging to be touched.

"It's for kids," she giggled, glancing over her shoulder at him. He touched the rose in her hair, amused. "Sit down," she instructed, pushing against his chest lightly. Rick complied immediately. She lowered herself into his lap, leaning forward to a touch screen in front of them. Rick gripped the seat beneath him, desperately trying to keep his hands to himself.

"What's this?" he attempted a question, keeping his eyes firmly above her tempting waistline.

"Smile," she instructed, sitting up straight, leaning back into him with a goofy grin. Rick just managed to imitate her when a flash went off. The touch screen lit up with a photo of the two of them. "Hmmm…" Michonne hummed lowly, shifting in his lap. "What should I draw?"

Rick swallowed thickly, daring to shift himself closer to her under the guise of seeing better. "You're going to draw on us?"

"Mm-hmm," she was already tracing her fingers over the screen expertly, lines of red and green appearing. Rick watched amusedly, his hands coming around her waist, holding her lightly. She did not protest. "Voila!" she announced with a flourish a moment later, glancing back at him. Rick laughed immediately.

"Super Mario Bros?" she'd given him a bright red hat and bushy brown mustache to go along with her matching green ensemble. He marveled inwardly at quickly she was able to paint over them.

"I think you make a handsome Mario," she turned in his lap, looking at him.

"Not as pretty as Luigi," as funny as her art was, Rick was fully distracted now. His hand was brushing some of the bare skin on her back. He ran his thumb up and down, unable and unwilling to resist her.

She smiled, suddenly shy despite her previous boldness. Her fingers traced up and down his arms. "Want to take another one?" she asked.

"Maybe in a second," Rick leaned forward, throwing caution to the wind, covering her beautiful mouth with his own.

She responded immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck, moaning lightly beneath his lips. Rick drew her closer, holding her tightly around the waist, slanting his head to deepen their lip lock. She parted her lips beneath his and he seized the opportunity, marveling at her taste like red wine and something he couldn't identify, but knew he was now addicted to.

He came up for air reluctantly, opening his eyes to see Michonne looking back at him, her dark iris hidden behind her long lashes. She dove back in, pressing her chest into his and Rick responded eagerly, momentarily forgetting where they were. She grasped at his biceps, flattening her palms over the muscles and Rick shifted, lifting her enough to pull her against him. His hands dragged downward, over her smooth, dark skin, toying with the space between the fabric of her dress and her waist. Michonne let out a breathy little gasp that nearly undid Rick completely. He pulled back, unable to keep the smile off his face. She grinned right back, dusting her lips across his cheeks. She went back in for his lips and Rick leaned back, bumping the tablet in front of them. A flash went off, just visible behind his lidded eyes, but it was the unexpected voice that startled them both.

"Hey," an accent thicker than even Rick's sent a shock through the canoodling couple, and they jumped apart guiltily. A security guard with an ebony mullet was staring confusedly at them. "You aren't supposed to be back here."

"Sorry," Michonne was quicker than Rick. "We just wanted—"

"A place to kiss, I know. You're not the first. One time, I caught this pretty little number and her redheaded beau. They were doing more than kissing." Rick and Michonne stared back at him, half embarrassed, have bemused. "I mean copulating." The security guard clarified .

"We'll be heading out now," Rick did his best to stand up, his pants uncomfortably tight. He guided Michonne behind him, allowing her to straighten out her clothing.

"Don't forget your pictures," the security guard flourished two glossy pages as they climbed out, Michonne still clinging to Rick's hand.

"Thank you," embarrassed and eager to be alone again with the woman on his arm, Rick seized the pictures and hurried towards the exit.

"Oh my gosh," Michonne began to laugh as they got out of earshot of the security guard. "I hope he doesn't tell anyone that he caught us."

"You know he will," Rick shook his head. "We're going to be another couple he caught copulating." Rick purposefully dialed up his accent. He could honestly not have cared less what the security guard thought.

"Well, not quite copulating," Michonne's tone changed. Rick turned back to look at her, pausing near the exit.

"Not quite," he agreed. He wanted her, badly, and it was clear she felt the same. Still, there was a time and place for everything. He kissed her again, a simple press of the lips, chaste compared to their photo booth make out. "I think we've got a few more prairie paintings to look at first."

She giggled, wiping at his mouth, "Let's start with the one with the cow."

-l-l-l-l-

"I had a great time tonight," Michonne laced her fingers around Rick's as he walked her up the path to her front door.

"I did too," he smiled at her, his lips still stained faintly pink from her lipstick. He paused at her front step.

Michonne stared at him for a moment, debating furiously. Part of her wanted to open that door and drag him inside, throw him down and finish what they'd started in the photo booth. The more conservative part of her knew that he would be worth the wait.

"Michonne," Rick let go of her hand, fiddling instead with the rose in hair that had come loose. "I was wondering, if you aren't sick of me…"

"Never," she couldn't imagine a situation where that would be true.

"Then maybe you'd like to get dinner with me, tomorrow night?" he looked at her hopefully.

Michonne closed the distance between them, brushing her lips over his. "I'll see you tomorrow night," she told him, delighting in his smile.

"Tomorrow," he repeated, reaching into his back pocket. "You should keep these. It's your art, after all," he smiled as he pressed the two printed pages into her hands.

It wasn't until he had wished her goodnight and disappeared in his truck that she chanced a glance at the pictures, laughing at the sight of them rendered like the iconic characters. The second picture caught her off guard. The camera had caught them mid kiss. They were twisted around each other like a couple who could not get enough, like they had forgotten a camera was even there.

"Tomorrow," Michonne whispered, stepping inside her house, the pictures pressed to her chest.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Written by iminyjo**

 **(find more of iminyjo's writing under our favorite authors or check out her tumblr page)**

* * *

"…The thing was busted the whole time! I'm standing there looking at him like, 'Man, are youkiddingme?'"

Shane kept going and luckily for Rick, he realized that he hadn't been listening at all a moment before Shane could. He glanced at his watch meaningfully and stood up from his desk abruptly to avoid being caught.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go stretch my legs." Rick said, thumbing toward the front doors of the station.

Shane looked caught off guard because he'd been in the middle of a sentence when his best friend bounded to his feet unexpectedly.

"Everything okay, Chief?" Shane ventured.

Rick looked back at him. There was no way for Rick to explain that he was anxious, excited and frustrated simultaneously without facing a serious ragging from his friend.

"Yup." He answered simply, stretching to sell his boredom better.

The truth was he was restless. He'd seen Michonne Saturday night and then again on Sunday for a picnic at the local Reservoir. Dinner on a Sunday night, basically a school night, proved impractical but rather than cancel they agreed to meet in the early afternoon. The outing had started out charming and chaste enough but had devolved or escalated, depending on your point of view, into a heavy petting session. Without a doubt, as far as he was concerned, it had been wonderful. And if Michonne enjoyed herself even half as much as Rick had with her then he knew already they were both in serious trouble. He was a goner. He could tell already.

But now he wasn't gonna see her until Tuesday.

Still, Monday nights with the guys was sacrosanct. He'd told Michonne that when they made plans to see each other next. He explained himself and she'd listened carefully. It wasn't because he didn't already feel like he could see her and spend time with her and talk to her and touch her everyday. It was just that he didn't want to be one of those guys that threw his friends over every time his love life had a pulse. And Mondays were his established "Guys' Night" with Shane and Glenn. Michonne, the amazing person she was, completely understood that, but now Rick was the one feeling deprived.

He sighed.

"Today's too nice a day to be stuck inside," Rick announced. "I think I'll go pick up the kids today. Take 'em to the park before I take them home. Save Lori the trip."

Shane just watched him, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I'll bet."

"What?" Rick said feigning innocence. Shane had known him too long, it was occasionally annoying.

Shane reclined in his chair with his feet up on the desk and put his hands behind his head. "You never did tell me how the date with the school teacher went."

Rick cursed himself for not having walked out as soon as he got to his feet. Shane wasn't even supposed to know about their date but between him, Maggie and Glenn there had been too many witnesses and loose lips to keep anything quiet. Rick was convinced they were trading notes or exchanging texts or something about him. It was like they had a hotline. Everything one knew, the other two did as well in short order.

"It was nice," Rick answered truthfully but succinctly. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, a hand resting on his gunbelt.

"I'll bet." Shane agreed with a smile that suggested he knew more than he technically should. He swiveled in his chair as if he was waiting for something.

"What?" Rick said again.

Shane suddenly looked like the cat that ate the canary, waving him off all smugly agreeable.

"I'm heading out," Rick said turning to walk out.

"So you said."

He took a step and turned back to Shane again, spinning on the heel of his boot. "What?"

Shane shrugged in answer; the smile hadn't budged an inch. "Nuthin'"

Rick sighed again loudly. His shoulders drooped in much for even a speck of privacy in this town. "You heard about the museum?"

"HA!" Shane smiled widely then, dropping his feet back to the floor and clapping his hands, rubbing them together greedily, ready to get to the nitty-gritty. "Boy, I had noideayou were such an art-connoisseur!"

Shane laid his country accent on especially thick for maximum effect. "But see son, in the future, I reckon I must advise you to appreciate the artswithinthe boundaries of the Law."

Rick damn security guard.

"This town is too damn small," Rick complained aloud more to himself than his friend. He wondered how many rounds this story had already made in just under forty-eight hours.

"…I hear there may even be pictures." Shane was continuing.

Rick skewered him with a look that if not stopping him entirely, at least turned Shane's next words from outside statements to inside thoughts. He pursed his lips, making like he was zipping them up and tossing away the key.

Rick groaned. Paying Michonne a visit at school had gone from a wistful impulse to a necessity in a matter of seconds. If this thing had effectively ruined his chances with her, Rick knew in that moment he was going to be personally cracking heads and wringing necks of gossip-mongers all over town until he got all the way back to that security guard.

He looked at his watch in earnest now. "I gotta get over to the school before the bell rings. Cover for me?"

Shane smiled, still irritatingly amused. "Sure thing, Brother."

"I'll see you tonight," Rick made for the door, far more apprehensive than he'd been an hour ago.

Michonne strolled down the hall with a large, juicy apple in her hands. This was one of her rare free periods. Her kids and the kids from the Pre-K -B class were having a visit from the local zookeeper. He'd brought in a marmoset, a parrot and a frog. And between them, the two aides and Tanya Wilson, the teacher from class B, the two Pre-K groups' attentions were completely rapted. Next week when the flautist came, it would be her turn to class-sit while Tanya took the break. In the meantime, Michonne decided the best place to enjoy her minuscule thirty minutes in relative solitude would be in the teacher's lounge. At that time of day, it was likely to be nearly empty– or at least she hoped, since she didn't actually know.

Michonne turned the fruit over lovingly in her hands before taking a bite. Her kids kept her stocked in them: Fujis, Galas, Macintoshes, Pink Ladies, Granny Smiths, both YellowandRed Delicious. She was lucky she genuinely liked them. Having, apparently, conflated the idea of 'an apple a day keeping the doctor away' with 'having an apple for the teacher'. It delighted her that her kids wanted her to live forever…or be invincible, as Jeffie Hill explained it to her. They loved her as much as she loved them and her daily apples were the tangible, or rather edible, proof. She smiled as she thought of it, turning the corner up the hall to the lounge.

"…And third off, I don't really see how it's even any of your business." Michonne heard Sasha saying as she approached the doorway. She slowed down, this sounded ugly.

"Well, I just don't think it's appropriate. She just arrived. I heard–" It was the fifth grade English teacher, Ms. Martin speaking. Michonne had exchanged enough pleasantries with the woman to recognize her voice. She hesitated. Something inside suddenly telling her to fall back.

"Personally, I don't understand why you'd be even getting your gossip from the lunch lady's son anyway. I heard Eugene Porter taught seventh grade Bio, at this very school, for two years before anyone realized he didn't even graduate from high school." That was Paul interjecting.

"Mr. Rovia!" Sasha said scandalized…or at least faking it well.

"What? I'm merely illustrating how bankrupt idle chatter is. Really ladies, what Ms. Anthony–" Michonne stepped back out of the doorway at the mention of her name, her apple stuck in her mouth as if she were on a spit. Fittingly she discovered, since she was apparently being roasted– "chooses to do in her spare time and with whom she does it is no one's business."

Michonne didn't know whether to stay or go. She wasn't an eavesdropper but considering the conversation was apparently about her, she felt torn. How was it possible that her fledgling dating life in this town had already become fodder for lunchroom gossip? Her mother had warned her, but truly this was ridiculous. She hung back at the threshold of lounge

"Thepointis," Sasha overemphasized her syllables. "unless at some point, Ms. Anthony or whomever asks you for your opinionpersonally, I think you'd be smart to keep their names out of your mouth."

Michonne knew that like herself, Sasha was a transplant but with her mild, nerdy, affably witty personality, she'd never thought to wonder whereexactlySasha hailed from…until that moment. But with the flint in that final pronouncement and a voice that brooked absolutely no rebuttal, Michonne wondered now if Sasha's original home wasn't a bit more rough and tumble than vanilla King County.

So with that as her cue, Michonne pushed through her nerves and walked into the lounge as if oblivious to what was happening around her.

"Good afternoon, Everybody." Michonne announced casually after finally pulling the apple from between her lips.

Ms. Martin blanched as if caught, turning both pale and red in great big splotches that crossed her face and down in a scarlet trail across her neck and chest. "Um, M-Ms. Anthony. Hi!"

Her companion, one of the middle school's PE teachers that Michonne had yet to formally meet, avoided eye contact. She gathered her things swiftly muttering about her break being over and scuttled out of the room.

Paul and Sasha turned simultaneously and shared a look. Even they looked startled by her sudden appearance behind them.

"Ms. Anthony, a-are you, ah, are you having a good day so far?" Sasha asked being the first to regain her composure.

Michonne almost laughed. Clearly, there wasn't a bank robber or con-artist among them, they all looked so unnerved and caught in the act that she very nearly felt sorry for them. She stood there silently for a moment longer to allow them all to stew in their guilt. In that time, Ms. Martin too, grabbed her papers and with her lunch bag moved past Sasha and Paul toward the door.

Michonne considered crowding the threshold as the woman approached and she slowed as if she suspected, looking very much like a cornered rabbit. But at the last moment, Michonne stepped out of the doorway graciously, "Have a good afternoon, Roxanne."

"Michonne," Was all she said before flying by her and down the hall.

Michonne turned her attention on her friends then, cocking her head slightly in query.

"Look, we didn't want you to find out like this–" Paul was the first to speak this time.

"We didn't want you to find out at all." Sasha amended holding her hands up to stay Michonne even though she hadn't moved or spoken at all.

"What?" She really hadn't heard much of anything although clearly they didn't know that.

Sasha and Paul exchanged another look. They were gonna get on her bad side quickly if they continued doing that. "What don't you guys want me to know?"

She walked into the lounge and sat on the large comfy couch that lined the wall by the window and staff mailboxes. Sasha joined her, while Paul pulled up a close-by chair.

"I'm an adult, I can handle it."

Her friends exchanged another meaningful look that made her stomach drop.

"There's a rumor going around that old Mrs. Porter's son Eugene caught you and Rick Grimes rolling around in the children's exhibit at the McPherson Museum," Sasha rushed through it all as if she were ripping off a band-aid.

"And we wouldn't have even dignified it with a comment except that…well, we know you went on a date with him on Saturday." Paul added.

Michonne's face burned. They'd joked that their little romp would become grist for the gossip mill but Michonne had assumed that it was just that…a joke.

"Now some of the teachers are concerned that dating Rick isn't appropriate." Sasha continued rolling her eyes. "But I honestly think we may have nipped that in the bud."

It was Monday, in the early afternoon. How could that story have possibly gotten those kind of legs already?

"First of all, it's not true…"

Entirely…maybe if they hadn't gotten caught–Michonne self-censored as Paul and Sasha looked from each other back to her.

"Of course not, honey–"

"We didn't believe it for a minute–"

"….And second of all, I thought you guys said it wouldn't necessarily be a big deal if we saw each other?"

"It's not, exactly," Paul reached out and pat Michonne consolingly on the knee as he leaned forward into their little huddle. "I mean you're not breaking any rules. It's like anything else in this town that's out of the ordinary– just something to talk about."

Michonne loathed being the subject of idle gossip. The idea that after only a few months in town she'd already gotten tongues wagging distressed her.

"This will peter out in time, trust me," Sasha attempted to reassure her. "As soon as someone gets a DUI or Mrs. Anderson brings in another store-bought cake for the Spring Cake-walk –she does it every year and every year they act like it's a high crime–"

"She's a hairdresser, I don't understand why people expect her to be Betty Crocker." Paul inserted looking at Sasha. "I suspect she couldn't properly operate an Easy Bake oven, so I'm actually glad she lets the supermarket handle it."

"Paul."

"What? She can't cut hair either." He ran a hand through his hair once and shuddered.

"What I'm sayingis, trust us, once there's something else for people to talk about, people will." Sasha concluded with a smile and another pat on her other knee.

Michonne frowned but nodded at them certainly hoped so.

Michonne was sleepwalking through the rest of the day. She knew it. Even the kids knew it.

Just before the dismissal bell, Judith Grimes came up to her and tugged on the sleeve of her shirt as she stood at the sink washing out a couple dozen small paint brushes.

"Miss A, are you okay?"

Michonne turned to her and squatted so they were eye to eye. "Judith, you're supposed to be over on the story rug listening to Miss Ashley." With the exception of Judith, her teacher's aide had the children's undivided attention– no small feat ten minutes before the end of the day.

"She's not as good as you and Daddy." Judith reported softly, leaning in so it was just between Michonne and herself.

Michonne smiled in spite of herself. The thought of various teachers speculating on her nascent relationship with Rick had her beside herself and completely off her game. She fretted that even Judith, who while observant was still only a four-year-old, noticed. It made her feel worse. This thing had just begun, was it already time to end it?

"Has someone given you the Cold-Pricklies?" Judith asked seriously, her cherubic cheeks and big blue eyes taking on the approximation of a dour expression.

Michonne nearly laughed. They'd just been teaching the kids a lesson on how words could hurt or help, labeling them either the Cold-Pricklies or the Warm-Fuzzies. It was no surprise to Michonne that Judith was both an astute and swift learner.

"No, but thank you for asking." Michonne said giving Judith's shoulder a squeeze. She looked more like her mother than her father, Michonne had realized but those blue eyes were Rick's without a doubt. The thought of breaking things off with him so soon saddened her. Surprisingly so.

She sighed softly to herself as she stood. "Storytime isn't over yet. Go see if you can catch the end."

Judith nodded, her blonde ringlets bobbing on her head. "Okay."

Michonne turned and went back to her brushes before she felt another soft tug. "Yes, Judith?"

Now she actually did laugh. She guessed bedtime was always entertaining in the Grimes Household.

Judith looked up at her, scrunching her little nose and beckoning her down to eye-level with her index finger. Michonne bent at the waist and Judith whispered in her ear. "I wish you could come home with us. Daddy always knows what to say to make me and Carl feel better."

Michonne smiled, genuinely and pulled the preschooler into her arms giving her a big hug. "Thank you. But you know, I think you're probably as good as your dad."

Judith beamed. She turned and ran for the rug just as the bell rang. She froze in her spot for a moment looking back at Michonne as all the children on the rug jumped up and scattered. Michonne laughed again and Judith smiled like the class clown.

"Have a good afternoon, Everyone!" Michonne announced then.

"BYE, MISS A!" They all screamed simultaneously as they did every afternoon.

Michonne waved goodbye to Judith as she scrambled to her cubby for her things. She couldn't help keeping her eyes on the little girl even as other children tackled her thighs to give their own farewells.

Was it strange or somehow unfair to everyone else that Judith had already secured a little real estate in her heart?

About twenty minutes later as Michonne and Ashley moved through the room putting the last of the things away for the day, there was a knock on the door. They both looked up to see Rick standing hesitantly in the doorway in his full sheriff's uniform. A squadron of butterflies suddenly did a loop de loop in Michonne's stomach. She would have been lying if she said it wasn't a very sexy sight.

"Ms. Anthony?"

"Deputy Grimes!"

They both spoke at the same time, then smiled timidly at each other.

Ashley, who stood incidentally at a spot on the rug midway between them both cradling a stack of books in her hands, looked around awkwardly.

"I, um, need to go help Ms. Wilson in her room…now." She said to Michonne quickly then hurriedly put the books down haphazardly in the Reading Corner and rushed out.

Rick barely cleared the doorway fast enough to avoid a collision. Michonne rolled her eyes. It was worse than she expected. The whole school knew–in two days!She sighed and Rick frowned in concern.

"Everything okay?"

Michonne shook her head fatigued. She put her arms across her chest and settled back against her desk at the front of the classroom.

How to tell him that the school rumor mill was already hard at work labelling them lovebirds?

Rick came in more fully, walking up until he was within striking distance, close enough to touch Michonne if that was what she wanted. Though from the look on her face it was tough for him to tell. She certainly looked like she could use a hug but with her arms crossed, she seemed guarded at the same time.

"I wanted to wait until everyone cleared out. Carl and Judy are waiting in the car." As Rick spoke Michonne nodded, "And I know we said we'd see each other tomorrow. So I hope you don't think I'm being eager."

Michonne smiled. It was small but still a smile. "Eager's okay."

She didn't know if she wanted to encourage or discourage him at that moment. Looking at Rick now she was truly torn.

"…But I wanted to talk to you for a minute."

"That's good. We need to talk."

Just that quickly Rick was set back on his heels. A woman saying they needed to talk, whether or not you said it first, was not a good sign.

"Is everything okay?" He asked again plaintively.

Michonne put her hand to her mouth covering a giggle. Rick looked and sounded exactly like his daughter in that moment right down to the solemn expression and half-cocked head.

Did she really want to stop seeing this man based on idle chatter?

They were both consenting adults, that had broken no rules.

"It appears the halls are alive with the sound of gossip." She said smiling.

Rick dragged his hand down his face and sighed deeply like an old man after a flight of stairs. "So you know?"

Michonne nodded. "Yep, I guess apparently Eugene Porter and his mother got on the ole bullhorn Saturday night and alerted the entire school?"

"Possibly town." Rick broke it to her. Michonne groaned.

Her mother's words came back to her yet again. She could not claim she hadn't been warned.

"So what do you wanna do, if anything?" Rick asked, dreading the possible answer. He closed the distance between them and Michonne came back to her feet. He placed his hands on her arms and looked directly into her beautiful brown eyes trying to discern her answer before she spoke.

Looking into his eyes Michonne thought of the great time they'd had together on Saturday…and Sunday.

Rick wasn't sure how to take her silence. "You want to call it off?"

He couldn't hide his disappointment, Michonne was the first person since his divorce from Lori that had put the color back into his world. It was only after he'd met her that he realized he'd been blithely going through the motions in monochrome for so long he could barely remember the now.

Michonne remained silent a moment did she want? She wanted to see where this thing between them could go. She realized she wanted to get to know Rick better. If she let herself be frightened off by a little bit of wayward gossip now she knew she might miss an opportunity for something great. So then she knew what she wanted.

She wanted to give them a chance.

She smiled, shaking her head and Rick felt the knot forming in his stomach ease.

"Nope," She said easily and then they both were smiling.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **Written by forevermichonne**

 **(find more of forevermichonne's writing under our favorite authors or check out her tumblr page)**

* * *

"Ugh, Dad. Not this song,again."

Carl was reprimanding his father on his choice of music. They bantered amongst each other as Michonne and Judith delightfully peered over to both of them in the car. They were all cozily nestled into Rick's SUV on a weekend trip. It was spring break and the windows were cracked open to allow the first cool breezes of the season to seep in the car.

The night before, all of them had carefully crafted their traveling playlist over pizza from Glenn' and Michonne bonded over their song selections, bouncing band names off each other well past Carl's bed time. They happened to have a large amount of classic rock in common. Michonne would hip Carl to Nu Jazz and 90's RnB and Carl would introduce Michonne to newer artist and Alternative Rock. Now Carl was giving Rick a hard time over his preferences, a mixture of Rockabilly and Folk tunes.

"You know I have to play this song everytime we go fishing, Carl," Rick playfully scoffed and snapped his fingers along to the banjos strumming at a high tempo. Not allowing Carl's digs to get him down. "It's tradition, practically draws the fish to us."

Under his breath, Carl chided just loud enough for him to hear, "Yeah, more like draws them away."

Michonne chimed in with a loud laugh "Carl, his tastes aren't all that bad. It leaves something to be desired but, not that bad." She playfully tapped Rick's knee which Rick reciprocated with a wink. He savored the moment to soak in Michonne's features, made even more exquisite by the sunrise falling over them. They'd been on the road since early morning in order to make a quick stop off at Michonne's parent's house, and then to the countryside for some mid-day fishing.

Carl placed his elbow on Michonne's headrest to speak over the blaring music. "But you actually have taste, Michonne. I like your songs. Hey, I can tolerate Judith's kiddy music. But Dad's, I can't stand. Let's not give him the aux cord next time."

Judith, previously too distracted by doodling in her memory book, peeked from under it in defense of her father "I actually like Daddy's songs, Carl. They remind me of Old McDonald."

Everybody burst out in roarious laughter and Carl exclaimed, "Exactly, Judith."

As the song came to an end, Michonne glanced at the phone that held their custom playlist and smirked. "Well Carl, you'll be happy to know, a song is coming up that we all seemed to like."

Carl, knowing that they agreed on very few songs, was instantly excited. As the beginning of the song faded in, everybody in the car seemed to be filled with a sense of anticipation. All four of them were enjoying their time with one another, and they knew this weekend would be no different.

I looked out this morning and the sun was gone

Turned on some music to start my day

I lost myself in a familiar song

I closed my eyes and I slipped away

xxxx

Carl and Judith had drifted off to sleep for some time, leaving Rick and Michonne to talk about their day. As suspected, the rumors surrounding their "scandal" of a relationship had died down within a matter of days, leaving Rick and Michonne to delve deeper into their relationship, what it meant for them and the kids.

"I haven't seen my mom in while. Besides facetiming, of course. It'll be good to see her in the flesh, and for her to see you." She rested her hand over his headrest, fiddling with his chocolate curls. "With all of the things I've been telling her about you and the kids, she was chewing me out to meet you all." Michonne eyed Rick with a questioning expression. "You ready?"

Rick nodded, "Yeah. I'm excited to meet her too. Albeit nervous." Rick gripped the steering wheel. "I feel like a high schooler knocking on my date's door."

Michonne giggled,"She's gonna love you, Rick. She already loves you." With that look, Rick was at ease. Michonne knew exactly where to reach to get him in a calm place.

The GPS sounded that they were all less that 10 minutes away from Michonne's old house, waking Carl and Judith from their deep sleep.

Judith sleepily growled from the backseat, "So what is your mommy like Michonne?"

Michonne glanced at the rearview mirror and into her inquisitive face, Judith was the most excited to meet her mother. "People say she's a lot like me, Judy. She inspired me to become an artist, you know? She is a sculptor in her spare time."

"So there are two Mrs. A's?" Judith's eyes went wide and excited. She didn't know if she could handle the prospect of another kind, creative, smart and pretty Michonne.

Michonne replied with a grin, "Well, I guess you could say that, Judy."

The car pulled into the driveway of a sage green two-story house. In the front, there was a screened porch with a couple of rocking chairs adorning it. Towards the back, you could make out a garden that was sprouting first blooms of vegetation. It all looked very tidy and homey.

A figure exited from the screen porch and out to greet them. It was a slender, older woman with long silver locs pulled into a ponytail. As far away as she was, she had a presence about her that was joyful and polished. She was the exact mirror of Michonne.

"There she is!" Michonne barely waited for the car to come to a complete stop before making a beeline toward her mother.

"Is that my baby coming out of that car!?" The woman warmly approached with open arms and embraced her child, rocking with her, pulling away solely to get a look at her face.

Meanwhile, Carl, Judith, and Rick pooled out of the car and gathered around while they were still locked in a hug and exchanging pleasantries. Rick gazed at the pair and he could see the deep relationship these two had.

"Is Daddy still on that business trip in Macon?" Michonne inquired.

Michonne's mother shook her head in feigned disappointment, "Yes, you know he would be here if he could. That man is always busy."

Michonne mused, "I know. Maybe we can double back on our way back to King County and catch some time with him."

After they parted, Rick offered his hand to shake in the most southern gentlemen type of way and said, "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Anthony. I'm Rick."

Michonne's mother allowed his hand to hang in the air for a spell and smirked."I don't do handshakes, baby. We hug over here." With that, she pulled him in for the biggest bear hug. "And my name is Roseline." She smiled that same 1000 watt smile that Michonne had."Michonne has told me so much about you. All good things."

Rick, delighted by how welcoming Michonne's mom was being replied,"Yes ma-, I mean, Miss Roseline."

Michonne walked over to the children and put her arms around them, "Mama, I'd like for you to meet Rick's children, Carl and Judith."

"Of course! I've heard so much about the two of you! Over here is Mr. Baseball Star. And here is the budding artist. It's wonderful to finally meet you." She reached in to hug both of the children which they warmly reciprocated. Judith had stars in her eyes. She couldn't imagine a world that housed two Mrs. A's. She was absolutely smitten.

"I made this for you!" Judith pulled out a folded up piece of paper that she was hiding in her overalls and presented it to Roseline. "My Daddy says never come to somebody's house empty-handed."

Roseline unfolded the piece of paper and examined the drawing. It was a picture of everybody that was in the car that day in crayon. On the top was scribbled "tank yu for habing us."

Roseline was over the moon about the drawing and kneeled down to Judith's level. "This is so beautiful, baby! Thank you." Roseline pulled her in for yet another hug. "I'm putting this on my fridge as soon as a get in the house."

"Your children are absolutely precious, and mannerable too."

"Thank you," Rick replied.

Roseline chuckled "I remember when Michonne was young like you two. She was really interested in those samurai movies and comics. All the time, kicking, using brooms as swords and such…Tearing up my house." Roseline playfully glared at Michonne. "But she was just a sweet and kind as she could be."

Rick laughed at Roseline's recounting. Imagining the now calm and collected Michonne, breaking vases from kicking in the house. "You don't strike me as the cutting up kind, 'Chonne."

"The Arts settled me, Rick." Michonne shook her head and shot a sly grin at her mom, a little embarrassed that she was spilling so much information so quickly.

Roseline leaned into her daughter for a side hug, "Oh yes, I have so much to tell you about Michonne, she's got so many stories. We're gonna have fun, Rick."

Rick's voice grew bubbly, "I really would like that Miss Roseline." As he passed a look over to Michonne, Rick was amazed at the woman before him. He wanted to hear all of the things about her that she'd glanced over about herself. Absolutely all of it.

"Well, I was in the kitchen since early this morning and made some breakfast for you all so that's time for plenty of stories. You can't go fishing on an empty stomach can you?"

Carl, who had been complaining of hunger pangs for about an hour immediately piped up, "We sure can't."

Roseline chuckled at his comment. "I can already tell this boy can eat, I like that!"

xxxx

Roseline had prepared a large spread for her guests. Fried catfish, eggs, grits with cheese, biscuits from scratch, and many other things were on the menu. Afterward, they lounged around in Roseline's was paging through some of Michonne's comics that she'd dug out from her old room and Judith had stolen Michonne away for a moment to teach her how to make pressed flowers for her memory book. Rick and Roseline opted to stay in the kitchen while Rick volunteered to clear the table.

Roseline took a moment to eye Rick down with a slick grin. "Rick Grimes, Rick Grimes…Well, I see you have your cowboy boots, but where are your riding chaps?"

Rick threw his head back and laughed, Michonne had mentioned all of the wise cracks Roseline would make about his name, the modern cowboy at its finest. Rick shot back,"They're at the dry cleaners. Next time I'll bring along my horse, Silver."

Roseline fell back against her chair and laughed cackled, then hummed, "Now, usually my husband would be the one to ask these questions, but in his absence, I gotta know. What are your intentions with my daughter, Cowboy Rick?"

Scraping leftover food into the trash, Rick's eyes began to crinkle at the corners and with some pause, he became serious and faced her. "Honestly, Roseline. I really like your daughter. She's making me a very happy man."

"I know you do, I can see by the way you look at her." Roseline fidgeted with her fingers and glanced over to a photo of Michonne with a floral dress, missing teeth, and thick, bushy hair. "She is something else, my baby girl. You've got a good one."

"I know that too. And it's never my intention to hurt her." Rick's southern drawl became more labored as he sat down at the table next to Roseline, wanting to cut straight to the point. "Miss Roseline, I know that the way we met might have caused some alarm with you, but I assure you that it's not something to be worried about. We're being careful about it, and I would never want to endanger Michonne's career or good name."

Roseline smiled and leaned in, "My baby is grown Rick, I know that. But that doesn't stop me from worrying about her. Down there in King County all by herself, I was nervous. And then she told me about you, and I was even more nervous. I didn't want her to get hurt, and I know a lot of women who do get hurt in those types of situations."

Rick nodded in understanding, knowing that their beginning predicament, a teacher dating her student's father, did not sound appealing on paper.

"But, I see now." She looked out toward the screen porch at a Michonne and Judith marveling over their new pressed flowers. "You and your kids are bringing so much joy to her life. So, I thank you."

Rick stood up to catch Michonne waving at the two of them and waved back. "The feeling is very much mutual. I'm thankful that we found each other."

Xxx

The stay at Roseline's house was short lived, but full of laughs and catching up. Roseline sent them on their way with a ton of leftovers for the rest of the trip. They all promised they would stop by after fishing to meet up with her again, and meet Michonne's father, Makenson.

After about an hour more of driving, they had finally made it to the lake house where they'd be spending a couple of days. It was a sight to behold, a quaint little log cabin nestled next to some of the clearest water where little to no vacationers frequented. The lush green grass surrounding the lake was still dewy from an early morning rain and you could smell the fragrant flowers in the midst.

Michonne, taking in the scenery, inhaled all of that fresh country air, "This is stunning, Rick."

Rick replied, "Isn't it? We haven't been up here in a long time. As a matter of fact, this is Judith's first time here, and yours of course."

The group quickly packed up their belongings in the cabin and made their way to the lake, fishing supplies in tow. As they neared, Carl got the idea to challenge Judith to a race.

"Race you to that fishing sign, Judes!" and with that, he blasted off, with Judith not too far behind him.

Rick yelled behind his children, "Careful you two, the ground is still wet!"

They paid the yelling no mind, Carl and Judith blasted at lightning speed toward the fishing spot leaving Rick and Michonne in their dust. Judith was not one to play with a challenge and was able to keep up a good speed with Carl. Until suddenly, she slipped up on the moisture inside her sandals and fell right into dirt softened by that morning's rain.

"Oh No!" Rick and Michonne yelled in unison as they scurried to see about had very quickly realized that his sister had fallen and was right to her rescue.

By the time Rick and Michonne had gotten to Judith she wasn't crying, as much as disgusted by her yellow pantsuit completely covered in a brown and green muck.

Michonne kneeled down to her level and began to rub her back, "It's okay sweetie, it's alright."Judith quipped with a twisted face, "Yeah, it's okay. It's just so… yucky." She frantically tried to wipe the mud off her bottoms.

Rick agreed with a chortle whilst examining her, relieved that she was not hurt past a couple of scrapes. "I know, baby. Let's take you inside to get some new clothes." He glanced at Michonne and Carl, "Hey Carl, do you mind getting things set up in the meantime while I get Judith cleaned up? Can you teach Michonne a bit while you're at it, she's a little, uh, wet behind the ears." Rick joked and Michonne rolled her eyes playfully. Michonne had never gone fishing before but was always ready to try new things.

Carl nodded, excited to get some one on one time with Michonne. "Yeah, I can teach you how to set up Michonne. It's really easy."

Michonne cautioned to Judith,"You sure you're alright, baby girl? You don't need us to come and help?"

"I'm okay Ms. A." Judith answered with a thumb up in the air while being carried away by Rick. Judith was one brave girl, indeed.

Left alone, Carl began to teach Michonne the ins and outs of fishing. In no time they were all settled with their chairs and sitting in front of the lake, rods in hand. Now there was nothing left but the beauty and the still of the lake, and to wait for the fish, already crowded around their fishing area, to bite.

The duo was only waiting for a couple of minutes before Carl whispered,"Hey Michonne, can I tell you something?"

Curiosity piqued, Michonne replied, "Of course, Carl."

Carl took a moment to prepare himself, "I know you and my Dad haven't been dating for a whole lot of time so I'm not trying to make this weird or anything, but, I just wanted you to know, I'm glad he's happy."

Immediately, Michonne's heart warmed. "I'm glad you're okay with it, Carl. Your opinion about this means a lot in this." She lightly pressured, "Is there anything that brought this about?"

"It's just… being here reminded me how my Dad was, before the divorce. I don't really think I could call my Dad… happy at the time. I know he loved us, Judith and I, but something was missing for him. My Dad was alone for a good while… and I was starting to wonder if he was ever gonna find somebody else." Carl teetered on his words, wondering to himself what the right thing was to say. All that Michonne could manage to do was listen.

"I was worried about him. But, I can see it on his face. He's happy to be with you. And I'm happy because he's happy." Carl beamed, relieved that he was able to say something on his mind for a long time.

"Well, thank you for sharing that, Carl," Michonne assured him. "Just know that I'm here for you, to talk or, whatever you need.I'm here."

They were so caught up in their talk that they didn't hear the zipping of the fishing line getting away from them. Something was biting on the line.

Carl began to pull back on the fishing reel,"I think we got one!"

xxxxx

The end of the weekend was at hand, and the group reluctantly prepared to make a trip back home to King's County. Michonne passed Rick a cooler of fresh bass and managed to steal a quick peck on his cheek, not realizing that Carl was within view of her. Then she ran back upstairs to double check that she hadn't forgotten anything before they left.

Rick, with flushed cheeks, walked over to the car and hefted the large cooler, teaming with medium sized bass, into the back of the car with Carl's help. It was one of the biggest catches they had ever made. All throughout packing, Carl had this huge grin on his face that Rick noticed.

Rick questioned Carl with a little hesitation nudging him, "Is everything alright? I see you grinning."

Carl, caught, began to blush and looked around, "Nothing… just you and Michonne."

Carl's smile was contagious to Rick causing one to spread across his face. "Yeah… are you alright about her?"

"Yeah." Carl nodded, answering with no hesitation and looked up into his father's eyes. With all sincerity, he said, "I think she's one of us."

That made Rick smile even the more. He was falling for Michonne, and he loved the assurance that his children were seeing the same qualities in her that he was. This all felt so right.

Rick drawled out, patting Carl on the back, "I think she is too."

"Okay, that's the last of everything." Michonne bounded down the stairs with Judith attached to her side, "We're all ready ready to head out."

And with that, everybody piled into the car with sights toward Atlanta, and then finally, King County. Everybody enjoyed a comfortable silence. The kind of silence you can only achieve when you are truly at home with somebody.

Judith, tapped Michonne on her shoulder and asked, "Ms. A, would you like to see my memory book?"

Michonne craned her neck to get the book from her "I'd love to, honey."

Michonne opened the memory book and marveled at this weekend through this little child's eyes. The pages were full to the brim with drawings of Rick as Old Mcdonald, a picture of Carl, Rick, Judith and Michonne around a lake, a muddy handprint and pressed flowers from her mother's garden.

The last picture made her well up. It was a picture solely of Michonne, she was adorned with a crown on her head and flowers were at her feet. In scratch letters, the picture was captioned "I luv Ms. A."

Michonne looked up at all of the people she shared the trip with. These amazing kids who loved her as much as she loved them, and this man who was awakening feelings in her that she hadn't felt in such a long time. This feeling felt a lot like family, and at that moment, Michonne decided that she would dive into it.

Passing the book back into Judith's hands Michonne replied, "This is wonderful, Sweetheart."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **Written by reciprocityfic**

 **(find more of reciprocityfic's writing under our favorite authors or check out her tumblr page)**

* * *

Fridays were quickly becoming Rick's favorite day of the week.

There was, of course, the ubiquitous appeal of Friday bringing the end of a long week at work, giving Rick the freedom to focus on Carl and Judith. And when the kids were with Lori, Fridays signaled the start of some often much-needed alone time.

Of course, his alone time wasn't quite alone anymore. And Carl and Judith weren't the only two people he got to spend extended time with over a weekend that always felt too short.

Michonne was there now, fitting into his family and his life like she was always meant to be there. And he couldn't have been happier.

Fridays were good for many reasons, but his absolute favorite one was that Fridays always ended with Michonne.

They'd started a tradition together, even though their relationship was still relatively new. After dinner in and spending quality time with the kids playing board games or hanging out in the backyard before sending them off to bed, or going out to eat and exploring more of King County so Michonne could continue to learn more about her home on weekends they were alone, Fridays always ended with the two of them curled up on his couch watching movies.

It was easy, it was simple, and it was one of the best things in his life.

They usually only got through one movie before one or both of them couldn't keep their eyes open anymore, but tonight they had made it to a second one. Still, Rick was having trouble focusing on the television screen, but it wasn't because he was tired.

He couldn't seem to keep his eyes off the woman pressed into his side.

Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and she'd changed out of the outfit she wore to dinner and slipped on one of his spare t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants she'd started keeping at his house for lazy nights spent in. She'd taken her contacts out and perched her glasses on her nose, and was intently concentrating on the movie before her.

Helovedthe gorgeous, sexy outfits she always put together for dates, but he couldn't overstate how beautiful he found her whenever she was like this: casual, relaxed, socomfortablein his home and there with him.

It made his heart swell in his chest, and he was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice that her gaze had shifted from the movie to him.

"Are you not enjoying my movie?"

He blinked and laughed lightly when he registered the disapproving look on her face, and he wrapped his arm around her more tightly as he looked towards the television and saw a scene fromThe Proposalplaying out onscreen.

"Romantic comedies aren't really my thing."

"Well, it's what I picked. So don't you even think about falling asleep on me. You're going to watch it till the end even if it kills you," she warned, turning back towards the television.

He chuckled again.

"Yes, ma'am."

"And maybe I would've been more open to picking something we both would've liked," she continued, eyes never leaving the screen, "if you hadn't made me watch a movie about the ghost of a dead witch chase around and kill college kids in the woods beforehand."

"Hey,The Blair Witch Projectwas a defining moment for the horror genre. The found-footage filming style would've never caught on like it did if it wasn't for that movie."

"Yeah, I know, Mr. Scary Movie Aficionado. That's the third time you've told me."

He could tell she was trying to sound stern, but he could see the smile she was trying to hold back just turning up the corners of her lips.

"I'm just trying to educate you," he defended.

"Something tells me you're trying to use the old 'Watch a Horror Movie With a Girl So She'll Cuddle With You' move."

He let out a short laugh. He couldn't deny that.

"Would it be so bad if I was?" he asked her.

"Nah," she answered immediately, turning back towards him, letting her grin light up her entire face now. "I like that reason a lot."

"Good," he murmured, smiling at her softly before leaning down and pressing a kiss to her forehead. They both refocused their attention on the screen.

But, again, the movie couldn't hold his thoughts for long. Barely a few minutes had passed before his eyes wandered and found her beautiful face.

He was always in awe of her, and had been since the day they'd met. Since he saw her smiling face, heard her smooth voice as she stood and addressed Judith's classmates and their parents. But tonight, as he watched light from the tv flicker across her skin in the dim room, something overwhelmed him. Her presence filled the air around them and enveloped him in the best way. His heart pounded in his chest, and he felt words bubble to his lips.

He had the urge to swallow them down, as he had always tended to do in the past. Lori had often accused him of being too quiet, and in many instances, she was right.

He would learn from past mistakes. This was different. Michonne was different. He was determined to make it different.

"Chonne?"

"Yeah?" she murmured, eyes still trained on the tv.

He sat up and reached down to the coffee table in front of him, grabbing the remote and pausing the movie.

"Hey!" she protested immediately. "What the hell? I told you, you're not getting out of this."

She turned her whole body towards him, her arms crossed and her lips pressed together in a small pout. She was so adorable he almost couldn't stifle his laugh, so he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

"I know," he assured her, "and we'll finish it. I promise. I just wanted to…talk to you about something for a little bit."

He saw her face fall the tiniest bit, but she recovered quickly, and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, but make it quick, Grimes. We're just getting to the good part."

He laughed again, and his breath caught as he took her in. Once again, he was overcome. He got lost in her, so much so that he nearly forgot what he wanted to tell her.

"Rick?"

Her cautious voice pulled him from his thoughts, and when he refocused, he found that the hint of worry that had flashed across her face a few minutes ago was there again. He reached his hand out and cupped her cheek, running his thumb over her cheekbone in an attempt to reassure her.

"I like you," he said, finally.

Her eyes warmed, and she smiled, leaning into his palm.

"I like you, too."

A grin that matched hers took over his face automatically when he heard her words, and he took a deep breath to steady himself. To try and temper his happiness and slow his hammering heart so he could focus on what he wanted to say.

"Ireallylike you, Michonne."

Her smile grew, but she didn't answer him this time. Instead, she grabbed the hand that caressed her face and brought it to rest in her lap, intertwining their fingers. She nodded gently for him to continue. She could tell that he had more.

That feeling of shyness that had always stopped him from speaking before came over him all at once, and he dropped his gaze from her face to their clasped hands. He swallowed once, and tightened his grip on her.

"I really like you. And I know it hasn't been that long, but you fit so well here. Having you, and getting closer to you has been so natural. And I'm not just talking about Carl and Judith adjusting. I mean, they adore you, which is amazing, of course. But withme, too. I know that seems obvious, but sometimes with kids people can get so hung up on making sure they're alright, that they can forget about the relationshipthey'rebuilding. And I don't want that to ever happen with us. I want you to know that when I say how good this is, and how happy I am, I'm not just talking about how it is with them. I'mhappy with you."

He lifted his head and captured her gaze again. Her eyes shined, and she shifted until she was on her knees. Then, she leaned forward, resting her hands on his thighs. She nodded again, urging him on.

"After Lori and I ended things, I was afraid," he admitted. "She was all I knew, since I was a kid. And I was afraid that I'd never find anything like it again. That I didn't know how to anymore. I wouldn't say the right thing or look the right way or do what I was supposed to. But then I metyou, and everything was so easy. Like I said, everything just fit so well."

He paused, and brought his hands to rest on her hips, his thumb finding the hem of her shirt and dipping below it to stroke her smooth skin.

"I didn't find what I had with Lori. It's different than it was with her. It's different than everything else before, but it's agooddifferent. And I'm not even sure I can pinpoint what exactly that difference is. I just know that it's there. And it's us."

He pulled her closer to him, until she was practically sitting in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and her fingers began to fiddle with the ends of his hair.

"Rick," she breathed.

"This is different," he told her earnestly. "And it's real, and it's good, and it'sours."

She brought her forehead to his, resting them against each other and closing her eyes.

"It is," she agreed.

"I'm guess what I'm trying to say is, I want this," he told her, trying to resist the urge to kiss her. He wanted desperately to get the rest of his words out. "I know it hasn't been that long, and it all happened kinda fast, but you're here. And now that you're here, I can't imagine you not being here. Iwantyou here, for a long time. I'll work for it. I'll put the time in. I'm in this, one hundred percent."

He trailed off, his words lingering in the air. He laughed once, self-consciously.

"I just hoping you are, too."

And she laughed this time, a sweet, soft sound that filled him from his head to his feet.

"Holyshit, Rick Grimes, do you have a way with words."

"Well, they're not usually my strong suit. Or so I've been told."

"You must've picked up some skills somewhere, then," she surmised, leaning back and running her fingers through his brown hair. A expression came over her face that almost seemed sentimental.

"You surprised me, you know."

"Yeah?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah. Before I moved here, I had a breakup that wasnotfun, to say the least. It's kind of what encouraged me to check out King County in the first place. I was going to move to the country, swear off men, and find myself. Or something like that. Then Judith Grimes walked into my classroom, and she brought you with her, and I was pretty much a goner at that point."

He smirked, and brought his hand up to tuck a lock of her hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear.

"And to answer your question -yes, I'm in. Totally and completely. I want what you want. And I promise that someday I'll tell you in a way that's as beautiful as what you just told me, but right now I just want to curl up next to you and…bask in everything, if that's alright."

"I'd like that. Plus, we have to finish our movie," he told her, and then leaned forward to press a slow, lingering kiss to her smiling lips. After a few, small, follow-up pecks, she shifted off of him, and returned to her original position, curled into his side and underneath his arm. He picked up the remote, but before he pressed play, he spoke.

"I've been meaning to ask you - how have you been feeling about King County lately? Still have that potential you were hoping for?"

He felt her laughter shake her body against his.

"I think it has a lot more than potential at this point."

He chuckled, and pulled her closer to him as he started the movie back up.

"I do, too."

And as the characters and stories played out on the screen before them, he savored her presence beside him. The calm and joy she'd brought to his heart and his life.

Eventually, his eyelids grew heavy, as he was lulled by the comfort of being with her. When they started to close, he snapped them open and blinked heavily a few times before glancing sideways to see if she'd caught him.

He found her fast asleep as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

He smiled, stifling his laugh so he didn't wake her. He took in her endearing, gorgeous, sleeping form and let it fill his heart, before plucking her glasses off her face. He placed them on the table in front of them and then grabbed the blanket resting on the arm of the couch, draping it over them. He stopped the movie, and turned off the television.

Darkness engulfed the room, and he closed his eyes, leaning his head against the back of the couch and falling asleep with Michonne in his arms.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **Written by constablemichonnes**

 **(find more of constablemichonne's writing under our favorite authors or check out her tumblr page)**

* * *

Rick fidgeted in the medium sized plastic seat, struggling to find a comfortable spot as he, Lori, Carl, and around thirty to forty other parents waited for the play to start. The end of the school year had come faster than expected, and in lieu of a graduation, Judith's pre-school class were to put on a "Move Up Day" play as a celebration of all they had learned before starting the first grade. Although they had only spent half of the school year with Michonne as their new teacher, her students were eager to perform for their families. Rick chuckled to himself as he thought back on how many times he has had to assure Judith that he and Lori would be there and how hard it was to put her to bed last night as she was too excited to sleep.

Both Judith and Michonne were off to the side of the stage with the rest of her class now, in full costume that mimicked the famous art pieces around the world as Michonne got them ready to begin. As she then placed them in the right positions, and stepped towards the microphone, Rick couldn't help but be in awe once again by her beauty.

Every time he thinks the sight of her could no longer take his breath away, she proves him wrong yet again. Even in the small auditorium full of parents and teachers alike, she managed to stand out from a mile away while only in a soft yellow top and cream skirt. The light of the room seemed to hit her perfectly, accentuating every hint of her beauty from the loosely tied back locs of her hair to the warm glow of her dark skin. The vision of her looking like the sun itself did nothing to relieve the storm that had been brewing in his head.

He had been twisting himself up inside, trying his damnedest to find some–anycourage to tell—showMichonne the feelings that have been burning in his heart and mind for weeks now. They still hadn't been dating for that long and yet he couldn't deny just how much of a change he has seen in himself and how better his life has been with her. But with every voice in his head echoing the same thoughts every time she's near, the same uncertainty follows. What if this was too much for her? What if she thinks it's too soon? What if he's making another mistake, too love struck and blind to see that it could all end in ruin again?

This is words echoed in his head whenever he felt himself too close to running away from Michonne and all the good in his life that came with her. At the end of the day, all of his days and nights spent with her on his mind, all of his worrying over his future with her, came down to the fact that he wholly and truly loved her and never wanted to let her go. She was a god send for him in more ways than one, and she deserved to know how much he loved her in every way.

"I love her," Rick mumbled to no one, his hand over his mouth.

Lori turned towards her ex-husband and lifted an eyebrow at his suddenly pale expression. "Rick?" Before she could reach an arm out to him, he shot up out of his seat, face red and eyes directed hard on Michonne as she was about to speak.

"I LOVE YOU!"

It wasn't until a moment after, when he looked at Lori and Carl's embarrassed faces and Michonne frozen half shocked smile, and heard the murmurings and stifled laughter of parents, teachers, and students, did he realize just what had come over him.

Shit…

Fortunately, the rest of the play went on without incident, save for a few wary and judging glances Rick's way and a few shaking heads behind his back. Rick was happy to see that Michonne took the embarrassing moment in stride and laughed it off, more distracted by what he said than how he said it. That didn't stop him from apologizing for the rest of the night.

Once the dust had settled from the celebratory dinner afterward and they both had said goodbye to Lori and returned to Rick's house for the evening with Carl and Judith in tow, Michonne found the moment she needed to ask him what had led to his outburst.

"I–just realized that I hadn't really said it before," he replied with an insincere shrug of his shoulders, and Michonne couldn't help but notice how quickly Carl and Judith had retreated into the house.

Assessing his nervous stance, she took a pause before saying, "true, but it's not like you needed to."

"I need to do more though," Rick said, taking her hands in his and slowly leading her to the house. "Now if you could humor me for a little bit longer, I have something to show you."

As Rick led her into the house and up the stairs, Michonne's heart couldn't help but to thud dreadfully in her chest. She had to admit she had hoped for a better explanation for what happened earlier, and his behavior now only increased her confusion. She had never doubted that he loved her, and it never occurred to her that neither of them had said the word before. They had spoken of it in similar terms during their movie night, and she had assumed then that the feelings he described for her could be nothing but love. She felt nothing less than the same and now only wondered what else he could possibly do or say that wouldn't make her heart completely burst.

Michonne's thoughts had begun to consume her to the point where she had not realized that Rick was no longer leading her. She now stood at the front of his bedroom, with him waiting by her side for her to open the door. Shakely grabbing the handle she turned it and slowly swung the door opened to be greeting by small glittered streamers in her face and a high pitch voice shouting, "SURPRISE!"

"Judith!" Carl groaned from behind his sister, who now stood in front of Michonne hugging the woman's legs with the biggest grin Michonne had ever seen the girl wear, "You were supposed to wait until we showed her!"

Michonne, slowly attempting to recover from the small shock, could barely get out, "uh…show me what?"

Rick's gentle laugh sounded in her ear, as he came from behind her and moved her until the room a little more until she stood in front of his dresser. The top drawer had been opened to show it was empty inside and hastily decorated, with a flimsy red bow stuck right in the center. "It's…a drawer."

"Your drawer," Rick said, looking at her with a hesitant smile, "and half a closet and half a bed."

Michonne still struggled to find her words, her face an unreadable shock. "Mine?"

Rick took her hand again and said, "or at least it could be, if you wanted."  
"Lately I've been trying to figure out how to show you what I feel for you, how happy I am to be around you, how deeply I've fallen in love with you," his voice was everything loving and gentle as he moved to face her directly, their faces close to touching. "You came to King County to build a new home, to find yourself. I want you to build your home with me–with us. I want you to find yourself with us. I figured it was still too early to ask you to move in though, but I wanted to have a piece of the house to yourself. To show you how much I love you and want you to be a part of this family."

Michonne smiled through the tears the she couldn't stop from surfacing, "so you gave me a drawer."

"It's a pretty big drawer," Rick said with a laugh, taking her other hand and interlocking their fingers. "I meant what I said. I want this, but only if you do too."

And like that, the tears that she fought to stop from falling came down as she choked out, "there you go again with your words. You've got me crying over a drawer." She removed one hand from his grasp to wipe at her tears, the smile never leaving her face. "And you said words weren't your strong suit."

"Only for you."

She responded with a watery laugh, leaning her head into his chest. "Rick, God I–" too full for words, she paused, taking a breath to gather herself before looking back up at him and continuing, "I love you too. I want to build a home with you. I want to find myself with you. I want it all."

Saying no more, she reached up and pressed a hard kiss to his lips, bring her hands up to cup his cheek as he wrapped his arms around her waist. It didn't last long as both were too shaken for more but it was enough for now. Not long after Judith interrupted the moment, chiming in with "so you'll stay with us?"

Michonne shook her head, leaning down to hug the little girl. "Yes, sweetie."

Judith pumped a fist in the air and squealed. "Yay! And you'll stay tomorrow too? Daddy said we could make homemade pizza!"

"Yes. I'll even make sure he doesn't burn it," Michonne laughed, wondering if she would ever stop smiling now.

"I promise I'm not gonna burn it this time." Rick said, bringing Judith, Michonne and Carl in for a quick hug. Kissing Michonne's forehead, he and the closest parts of his heart left the room and began the unsteady first hours of a new life together.

 _ **-The End-**_


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